Judge upholds Tylo ruling
Spelling must take case to appellate court
Judge Fumiko Wasserman refused to throw out the jury award against two of television producer Aaron Spelling's companies for firing Tylo from "Melrose Place" when she became pregnant.
Attorneys for Spelling -- who must now argue their objections to the verdict with the appellate court -- went to court March 24 in an effort to get the award in the pregnancy discrimination case set aside, claiming it was excessive and the product of "a runaway jury swayed by passion and prejudice."
But in a two-page decision released Wednesday, Wasserman denied a reduction in the judgment and denied a defense motion for a new trial. He also granted Tylo's motion for nearly $1 million in attorney fees.
"She's very happy that the jury found in her favor and that the judge has reaffirmed the jury's decision," said Gloria Allred, one of Tylo's attorneys. "She feels that a woman has a right to have both a family and a career and that no woman should have to make a choice between the two for fear of losing either one."
Sally Suchil, general counsel for Spelling Entertainment, said in a statement that the company was "extremely disappointed that the trial court has refused to set aside the jury's outrageous verdict. There are no legal grounds to support the verdict or the jury's award of damages and we are confident that we will be vindicated at the appellate court level."
Tylo sued Spelling in March 1996, contending she was fired from the primetime series because she was pregnant. She sued Spelling Entertainment Group and Spelling Television Inc. for breach of contract, wrongful termination and pregnancy discrimination.
Spelling lawyers argued that the award was excessive, noting $4.9 million was twice what Tylo had sought and four times greater than any amount ever awarded to a plaintiff in similar discrimination cases.
In seeking to reduce the award, the defense offered the same argument rejected by the jury: that Tylo's pregnancy violated a contract which required her to play a vixen in the show.
