Hallmark Is Being Sued For Age Discrimination, Here’s Why – Deseret News

A former Hallmark casting director filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the network in October. The suit claims that Hallmark’s executive vice president of programming, Lisa Hamilton Daly, told staff she wanted to “replace” “old talent,” as first reported by Variety.

Penny Perry, a 79-year-old former casting director at Hallmark, claims Hamilton Daly told the team he didn’t want to cast “old people” because they don’t fit the network’s image, according to Variety.

Hamilton Daly then allegedly cited Holly Robinson Peete, 60, and Lacey Chabert, 42, as examples.

“Lacey is getting older and we need to find someone like her to replace her as she ages,” Hamilton Daly told the team, the suit states, according to Variety.

Of Robinson Peete, Hamilton Daly reportedly said, “Nobody wants her because she’s too expensive and she’s getting too old. She can no longer play leading roles,” the outlet reported.

Chabert has starred in more than 40 Hallmark movies and is often called the “Queen of Hallmark Christmas Movies,” per Collider. Robinson Peete has starred in several Hallmark mystery and holiday films and worked as an executive producer for the network, per Hallmark.

Hallmark denies all allegations. In a statement to Variety and Deadline, the network said: “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We generally do not comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we will not discuss an employment relationship in the media.”

The suit also alleges that Perry “was unceremoniously fired in April after nine years with the company,” Variety reports.

“Unbeknownst to Ms. Perry, Ms. Hamilton Daly wanted to remove her from the company due to her age and her complaints that the company was refusing to accommodate her life-limiting health conditions,” the lawsuit states. , as reported by Deadline. “In Ms. Perry’s case, there was no happy ending and no feel-good episode to cap off her Hallmark career.”

Hamilton Daly allegedly called Perry “too old” and said the network needed to “bring in someone who knows more about younger talent,” the lawsuit states, according to Deadline.

“Following her wrongful termination, Ms. Perry submitted more than 300 applications for new employment and had no luck obtaining any full-time employment offers,” the lawsuit states, according to Deadline. “In fact, the vast majority of her contacts she made were while she was working at Hallmark and continuing to conduct business with Hallmark, so she fears that Hallmark’s firing and defamation have put an abrupt end to her career. ”

Perry is seeking “economic damages for lost past and future earnings” from Hallmark, according to Deadline.