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| Victoria Rowell at Thursday's press conference. Photo courtesy of Roger Newcomb |
FORMER “YOUNG & THE RESTLESS” STAR SUES CBS, SONY FOR RETALIATION AFTER ACTRESS CALLED FOR DIVERSITY ON SHOW
Victoria Rowell, Y&R’s “Drucilla Winters,” Claims Companies Refused to Rehire Her in Retaliation for Advocacy on Behalf of African American Actors
New York, NY— Former “Young and the Restless” star Victoria Rowell today filed a lawsuit claiming that CBS, Sony Pictures and other media companies refused to rehire her after she advocated for greater diversity among those who worked on the daytime drama. Rowell and her lawyers discussed the complaint at a press conference held steps from CBS headquarters.
“All Ms. Rowell is seeking is basic fairness. We are confident that Ms. Rowell will be rehired if the issueis considered in a serious and non-retaliatory manner,” said Cyrus Mehri, a founding partner of Mehri & Skalet, PLLC, the Washington, DC-based law firm representing Rowell. “Ms. Rowell made Drucilla Winters one of the most compelling characters ever to appear on daytime television. In refusing to re-employ her, the defendants aren’t just hurting Ms. Rowell; they’re acting against their own economic self-interest.”
Former The Young and the Restless star Victoria Rowell is filing a complaint in federal court against CBS, Sony Pictures Television and other defendants claiming that she was denied re-employment on the highest rated daytime soap opera in the country in retaliation for her public and private complaints regarding the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera on the show.