Sony Pictures Television and CBS have won their bid to dismiss Victoria Rowell’s lawsuit against them after her allegations that she was systematically discriminated against during her time on the “Young and the Restless.”
In documents obtained by TheWrap Wednesday, California District Judge John A. Kronstadt dismissed six causes of action against Sony with leave to amend.
“Plaintiff’s first and second causes of action for failure to rehire on ‘Y&R’ are dismissed, with leave to amend, if Plaintiff can do so in good faith and in conformance with the analysis in this Order,” the judge told Rowell.
Rowell was a vocal advocate in trying to increase the number of African Americans who appeared on the show as well as behind the scenes. But she claimed that those who fought for greater diversity in Hollywood were frequently punished.
“The level of retaliation in entertainment is profound – it’s terrorism,” she told TheWrap earlier this year. “When you think of not being allowed to work in your art form as a writer, a director, because you speak out.”
Rowell filed the lawsuit back in February alleging that the producers of “Y&R: refused to rehire her for that show or “The Bold and the Beautiful.” The actress had left “Y&R” in 2007 after 17 seasons claiming she had suffered years of racial discrimination, harassment and resistance from CBS bosses to increase diversity on the daytime soap.
CBS hit back in a statement to the TheWrap saying the suit had “no merit and that they were going to “vigorously defend” the case. They moved to dismiss Rowell’s lawsuit contending, among other things, that her demands violate the First Amendment.
Rowell played Drucilla Winters from 1990 to 2007 and appeared in more than 2000 episodes.