Matrix actor sued

2006-01-18 08:13

Los Angeles - Matrix movie star Laurence Fishburne was sued on Tuesday by his former personal assistant who claims the actor sacked her because she fell pregnant, court documents showed.

In her lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, Kristel Crews claimed she was hired in November 1999 to take charge of all of Fishburne's "personal and business needs", but that she was fired when she announced she was expecting a baby.

Fishburne told her he did not believe "in women having children on their own", and "that there were consequences to her decision to have the baby without consulting him...", the suit stated.

Crews also alleged that her former boss "could not understand why she had not come to him before she made the decision to become pregnant".

A change of heart

According to the complaint, Fishburne "initially expressed happiness and agreed to be the baby's godfather" when she told him the news in April 2004, but that attitude changed after Crews said she would be unable to travel to New Orleans in November for a movie shoot.

The 44-year-old actor's attitude toward her pregnancy began to change from that point on, she claimed in the suit.

Fishburne allegedly "grilled plaintiff about her decision to get pregnant", asked personal questions about how the pregnancy occurred and reconsidered his offer to be the child's godfather, the suit stated.

Crews' also claimed that the actor then allegedly said she would not be able to properly tend to his needs after giving birth and that the alleged "harassment" led her to deliver the baby more than a month prematurely, in November 2004.

Right to privacy violated

According to the suit, Crews took maternity leave and was told she would be fired effective from the day she was scheduled to return - which she was, in January last year.

"In short, Fishburne viewed plaintiff as his property and not as an employee who had a right to privacy, as well as legal rights in the context of her employment," the suit stated.

Crews is seeking unspecified damages on several claims, including breach of contract, sex discrimination and wrongful termination in violation of public policy.

California, like all United States states, has tough laws guarding against sexual discrimination and guaranteeing the labour rights of mothers.

- AFP