Arianne Zucker, Emmy-nominated actress known for her portrayal of Nicole Walker in Days of our lives And he was the subject of Donald Trump's vulgar comments about the infamous case. Access to Hollywood American actress Jessica Lopez has managed to overcome a major challenge to the lawsuit she filed in February alleging sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation on the set of her hit NBC series.
In a decision issued Thursday, a Los Angeles County judge ruled that Zucker can move forward with the disputed portion of her complaint seeking a formal injunction preventing Countries In a lawsuit filed by Zucker against executive producer Albert Allar for sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and an injunction under a section of the California Business Code, Allar asked the court to strike out the alleged business code violation, claiming it did not apply to him.
At a hearing in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, Alar's attorney Robert Barta said: “There must be allegations that he engaged in ongoing conduct. He is not even an employee. There is no allegation that he is employed anywhere in this industry as a result of what happened. It is a legal matter. There are simply no alleged facts to support a claim for damages by injunction.”
But the court rejected that argument. “Plaintiff alleges that Mr. Allar has engaged in long-standing, habitual conduct. From the alleged facts, it is inferred that this conduct is likely to recur,” Judge Christine S. Escalante wrote in her ruling, issued hours after the morning hearing. Even though Allar says he no longer works, the injunction may be appropriate if Zucker “ultimately proves that Allar engaged in the alleged conduct and that the conduct is likely to occur at other jobs,” the judge said.
Allar's lawyer did not immediately respond. Rolling StoneRequest comment.
“We are very pleased that the court agreed with us, following today’s court hearing, that Ms. Zucker can move forward with her request for an injunction against Mr. Allar, seeking to prevent him from harassing and discriminating against women in the future,” said Zucker’s attorney, Anahita Sedaghatfar. Rolling Stone“As we stated in our motion, Ms. Zucker wants to ensure that no other woman is harmed by Allar again, and I will fight to make that happen.” The next hearing in the case is scheduled for October.
In her lawsuit, Zucker alleged that Allard repeatedly subjected her to unwanted sexual advances and physical touching during production. Days of our lives And that she was eventually fired from the show for reporting his alleged abuse. (The lawsuit states that Allar began working on the show in 2005 and was promoted to his role as co-executive producer in 2015.)
“Alar would often grab and hug the plaintiff tightly, deliberately pushing her breasts against his chest, while moaning, ‘Oh, I see!’” “Alar would place his hand on the plaintiff’s waist, with his thumbs placed directly above her vagina, and move it around, all the while smiling and smirking in a sexual manner, which made the plaintiff extremely uncomfortable.”
The complaint alleges that Allard also made comments to Zucker's co-star during scenes, such as, “You really want to have sex with her,” and, “Trust me, I'd love to swap positions with you.” Zucker alleges that she also observed Allard hugging other actresses tightly “while moaning sexually,” and when one of them once questioned his actions, “Allard responded curtly, 'Women are so hysterical.'”
Zucker’s lawsuit names Allar, as well as Corday Productions and showrunner Ken Corday, as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that Corday failed to act when Zucker raised concerns about Allar. Zucker alleges that Corday was Allar’s friend and fired him only after she and dozens of other employees drafted a petition to terminate Allar’s employment that was picked up by national media. She says that after she complained, subsequent contract negotiations ended with the producers offering her a substandard “take it or leave it” deal that amounted to a termination.
In court filings, Allard and his lawyers allege that Zucker's claims “range from fanciful to exaggerated and grossly out of context.” A representative for Cordae's production company previously said the lawsuit's allegations were “baseless.”
“Corday Productions offered Ms. Zucker a contract renewal, including a pay increase. Ms. Zucker’s refusal to accept the counteroffer does not constitute retaliation,” the actor said in a statement. “Complaints regarding Mr. Allar’s on-set behavior were promptly investigated. Corday Productions fully cooperated with the impartial investigation and subsequently terminated Mr. Allar’s employment.”
Aside from her acting career, Zucker, 50, came into the international spotlight during the 2016 presidential election when a 2005 recording of Trump's conversation with former President Barack Obama was made public. Access to Hollywood News about host Billy Bush leaked to Washington PostIn the recording, Trump made his highly offensive comments after seeing Zucker sitting on a bus, waiting for a brief appearance on Countries.
In the recording, which became a flashpoint in the 2016 presidential race, Bush refers to Zucker as the person who was supposed to accompany Trump to the set. Bush is heard saying, “Your girl is so hot,” to which Trump responds, “Wow!”
“I better have some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her,” Trump continues. “You know, I’m automatically drawn to beautiful women — I start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss me. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you. You can do anything… Grab her by the pussy. You can do anything.”
After news of the recording broke, Trump dismissed it as “locker room talk.” Zucker responded with a statement saying she found the remarks offensive. “I have learned that other people's words cannot be offensive.” [affect] “My self-worth or the content of my character determines how we treat each other, whether behind closed doors, in locker rooms or face to face, should be done with kindness, dignity and respect,” she said at the time. “Unfortunately, there are far too many people in power who abuse their positions, ignore these simple principles and are rewarded for it.”
In a recent appearance on a radio show, Zucker seemed to soften that stance, saying Trump's comments sounded “like something my college friends that I know would say… but I didn't see it the way people saw it.”
