Ex-'Price is Right' model wins suit against show
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jurors awarded nearly $777,000 Tuesday to a former "The Price is Right" model who claimed she was discriminated against by producers because of her pregnancy.
Brandi Cochran, 41, said she was rejected by the game show's producers when she tried to return to work in early 2010 after taking maternity leave.
The Superior Court jury determined her pregnancy was the reason she wasn't rehired and awarded Cochran $776,944 in the suit against producers FremantleMedia North America and The Price is Right Productions.
In their defense, producers said they were satisfied with the five models working on the show at the time Cochran sought to return.
A second phase of the trial will determine whether Cochran should be awarded punitive damages. Cochran's attorneys had asked for more than $8 million, City News Service reported.
Jurors began deliberations Thursday, telling Judge Kevin Brazile several times that they were deadlocked before reaching the verdict.
In a statement, FremantleMedia said it expects to be "fully vindicated" after an appeal, adding that it stands behind executive producer Mike Richards and the show's staff.
"We believe the verdict in this case was the result of a flawed process in which the court, among other things, refused to allow the jury to hear and consider that 40 percent of our models have been pregnant," and further "important" evidence, FremantleMedia said.
A call seeking comment from Cochran's attorney wasn't immediately returned Tuesday.
The verdict is a rare one for a program that has seen other lawsuits. Longtime host Bob Barker, who retired in 2007, was sued by some of the show's hostesses for sexual harassment and wrongful termination.
Most of the cases involving "Barker's Beauties" — the nickname given the gown-wearing women who presented prizes to contestants — ended with out-of-court settlements.
Comedian-actor Drew Carey followed Barker as the show's host.
Brandi Cochran, 41, said she was rejected by the game show's producers when she tried to return to work in early 2010 after taking maternity leave.
The Superior Court jury determined her pregnancy was the reason she wasn't rehired and awarded Cochran $776,944 in the suit against producers FremantleMedia North America and The Price is Right Productions.
In their defense, producers said they were satisfied with the five models working on the show at the time Cochran sought to return.
A second phase of the trial will determine whether Cochran should be awarded punitive damages. Cochran's attorneys had asked for more than $8 million, City News Service reported.
Jurors began deliberations Thursday, telling Judge Kevin Brazile several times that they were deadlocked before reaching the verdict.
In a statement, FremantleMedia said it expects to be "fully vindicated" after an appeal, adding that it stands behind executive producer Mike Richards and the show's staff.
"We believe the verdict in this case was the result of a flawed process in which the court, among other things, refused to allow the jury to hear and consider that 40 percent of our models have been pregnant," and further "important" evidence, FremantleMedia said.
A call seeking comment from Cochran's attorney wasn't immediately returned Tuesday.
The verdict is a rare one for a program that has seen other lawsuits. Longtime host Bob Barker, who retired in 2007, was sued by some of the show's hostesses for sexual harassment and wrongful termination.
Most of the cases involving "Barker's Beauties" — the nickname given the gown-wearing women who presented prizes to contestants — ended with out-of-court settlements.
Comedian-actor Drew Carey followed Barker as the show's host.
Somebody forgot to read the fine print that says if an employee takes maternity leave or leave to perform active military duty, they MUST BE guaranteed their job back afterward. "Oh, we just found somebody we like better" is NOT an excuse!
But, hey, what are mere rules about, anyway?
If the suit was brought against Bob Barker/Â FremantleMedia, then why is there a picture of Drew Carey? (BTW, there's been at least 2 models who've been pregnant in the last 6-8 months, and they're back at 'work'.)
I distinctly remember one of the original models being pregnant all through the show and came back after her baby was born. This woman was obviously not re-hired for other reasons!
Wow! The biggest Price Is Right giveaway in history! Congratualtions Brandi! You've just won $777,000 on The Price Is Right! Now you can buy a lot more than just a BRAND NEW CAR!!!
777,0000 and they still want another 8M on top of that? For what may I ask? Waving your hand around and smiling in that slutty outfit? I tell you, models aren't much better that prostitutes. She didn't deserver a dime.
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An another note. Drew Carey looks kind of icky when he's a skinny. That man needs to put on a few pounds!
 @thetruthhurts Newsflash; discrimination at the workplace is against the law. Now get back to hating
@thetruthhurts Don't you know it takes a lot of skill to seductively wave your hand around the products.
But... She wasn't pregnant when she tried to return to the show... Since when are businesses forced to rehire women after they have babies? Shouldn't it be up to the employer to decide that?
@Insomniac Dreams Not positive if it applied in this case, but a lot of people are protected by FMLA. Look it up.Â
 @doubleoevan  @Insomniac OK, the article was a little confusing, it said maternity leave, but I registered the word "rehired" in there so I thought she had quit. My bad. It sure leaves an employer in a tough spot though.Â
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@Insomniac Dreams @doubleoevan @Insomniac -- Yes, that is a little confusing. I read it as she left for longer than FMLA maternity leaves allows for, and then wanted to return to her job, thus be rehired. More infomration would be nice.
@Insomniac Dreams  How is a business forced to rehire someone when they go out on maternity leave?  Last I checked when someone goes on maternity leave, they never quit the job
Well, I am glad models now have another way of generating income with no real skills whatsoever!Â
Bah!