An age discrimination lawsuit claims a Hallmark executive said she does not want to cast “old talent,” offering Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert as examples, claiming they do not align with the channel’s image.
Penny Perry, 79, a casting director who has been with Hallmark for nearly a decade, filed the lawsuit on Oct. 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
In it, she accused defendants Hallmark executive VP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly, Senior Vice President of Programming and Development Randy Pope and Vice President of Human Resources Paul Hodgkinson of wrongful termination, age and disability discrimination, defamation, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Perry alleges that Hamilton Daly decided that she was “too old to work in her position and maneuvered to push her out of the company” as a part of her goal to find “new talent.”
“We need to bring in someone who knows more young talent,” the executive said of Perry, according to the suit. “Our leading ladies are aging out.” Hamilton Daly allegedly specifically cited Robinson Peete, 60, Chabert, 42, Teri Hatcher, 59, and several more as “old talent” who need to be “replaced.”
“Lacey’s getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older,” Hamilton Daly allegedly said. She also said that “no one wants” Robinson Peete. “She’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.”
Hallmark denied the allegations in a statement to Variety and Deadline. “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media,” the statement reads.
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Perry, a casting director on movies and television shows since the 1970s, said she received strong annual performance evaluations, including one in February, but she was abruptly fired in April. She alleges she was fired and replaced with a younger man. According to the complaint, Hamilton Daly repeatedly told her she was “too long in the tooth.”
Perry alleges “vile and ageist conduct” is “straight from Hallmark’s playbook when they sought to push out other employees in their 60’s and 70’s because of their age.”
She alleges that she was excluded from meetings, her office was moved to a different floor, and on one project, her casting responsibilities were given to an outside consultant. Also, per the lawsuit, Perry alleges that the studio did not accommodate her multiple sclerosis and one-eye blindness.
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Perry’s attorneys and a representative for Hallmark did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Wednesday.
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