No Wrongful Termination Claim for Nonrenewal of Contract, But Retaliation Claim Allowed under California Law

Desperate Housewives actress, Nicollette Sheridan, cannot pursue a claim for wrongful termination based on the television production company’s failure to renew her contract for an additional season, the California Court of Appeal has ruled. Touchstone Television Productions v. Superior Court (Sheridan), No. B241137 (Cal. Ct. App. Aug. 16, 2012). Although Sheridan contended that the production company fired her in violation of state public policy because she complained about a battery committed upon her by the series’ creator, the Court declined to fashion a new tort for nonrenewal of a fixed-term employment contract and directed the trial court to enter a verdict in favor of the production company. However, the Court would permit Sheridan to amend her complaint to assert a claim for retaliation for complaints about unsafe working conditions under Section 6310(b) of the California Labor Code.