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Hallmark Hit With Age Discrimination Lawsuit, Claims Studio Didn’t Want to Cast ‘Old People’

Hallmark Media has been accused of age discrimination and fabricating "happy endings" that are "made for TV only."

In a lawsuit filed on Oct. 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court, per Variety, Penny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director, accused the company of “ageist and ableist harassment” and a “callous termination which robbed her of her illustrious career, her pride, and her well-being.” Perry also claims that the alleged conduct was aimed towards other employees including staff and top talent such as stars Holly Robinson Peete, 60, and Lacey Chabert, 42. Perry stated that she is coping with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and is legally blind in her left eye. SVP Programming and Development Randy Pope was also accused of being “abusive” toward Perry and having “tormented her regularly.” The casting director, whose credits include Cocoon and The NeverEnding Story, claimed that during a virtual meeting on April 10, 2024, Hamilton Daly and Hallmark Human Resources exec Paul Hodgkinson “ambushed” her in what she “believed was a casting meeting,” but turned out to be a “termination meeting where Ms. Hamilton Daly, and Mr. Hodgkinson wrongfully terminated her employment.”

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