Nicollette Sheridan's attorney concluded his examination of Marc Cherry Monday, compelling the "Desperate Housewives" creator to describe his remorse for his alleged "wallop" and subsequent firing of the actress.
Both sides in Sheridan's $6 million wrongful termination suit against Cherry and ABC will return to Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday, when Cherry will be questioned by his own attorneys.
The actress claims that Cherry gave her "a nice wallop" to the left side of her head at a Sept. 24, 2008 rehearsal, and then killed off her character when she complained about the incident.
Also read: Marc Cherry on Nicollette Sheridan's 'Wallop' Claim: 'I Felt I Had Permission'
Earlier Monday, Cherry said that he "felt he had permission" to make contact with Sheridan on the day of she claims he struck her, and that his intent was to demonstrate a "physical bit of business" to end the scene.
Sheridan's attorney Mark Baute noted that Cherry had in his deposition said that he "felt awful" about the incident, and asked him how long he had felt that way.
Cherry responded, "Going on three and a half years now."
Also read: Nicollette Sheridan: 'I Was a Victim of a 'Desperate Housewives' Salary Gap
Under questioning from Sheridan's attorney Mark Baute, Cherry said that after the incident he went to Sheridan's trailer, apologized, they hugged and he told her he'd "write a funny line for her."
Asked whether he had knelt down to ask her forgiveness, as Sheridan testified last week, Cherry said that he "didn't remember anything like that."
Baute noted that there had been an October 2008 article in the National Enquirer claiming that Cherry struck Sheridan and that neither Cherry nor ABC asked for a retraction. He then asked Cherry about if he was upset that the idea of him hitting a woman was being circulated.
"I was upset at the general idea out there in the universe," said Cherry, who admitted to being frustrated at the time but denied that he was angry.
Also read: 'Desperate Housewives' Trial: Marc Cherry Explains Why He Killed Nicollette Sheridan's Character
The questioning then shifted to Sheridan's dismissal, which came on Feb. 10, 2009. Cherry said that in December of 2008, "Housewives' co-stars Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman were told Sheridan's character was being killed off and that they were "relieved."
Cherry said that he had an assistant summon Sheridan to a meeting but that she was not told that she was being dismissed. Those present at the meeting were Cherry, writer Bob Daily, line producer George Perkins and executive producer Sabrina Wind.
Asked if Sheridan was told in what Baute referred to as the "bye-bye meeting" that the decision to let her go had been made in May 2008, Cherry said no.
Asked if there is any documentation form that time suggesting that her Sheridan's character would be killed off, Cherry said there are story cards probably from around May 12, 2008 that referenced it.
In the trial's morning session, Cherry testified that he did not have Sheridan's character Edie Britt killed off out of retaliation, but rather for creative reasons, to save money and because of Sheridan's "lack of professional behavior."