Marc Cherry Testifies at 'Desperate Housewives' Trial

Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry took the stand in Los Angeles Superior Court Monday to defend himself against claims that he struck actress Nicollette Sheridan in 2008 and then moved to kill off her character in retaliation after she complained to ABC and ABC Studios. Although Cherry was called by Sheridan's legal team as an "adverse witness," he did get to tell part of his version of what happened during a scene rehearsal on Sept. 24, 2008. Sheridan had testified last week that Cherry walloped her across the left side of her face out of frustration after she twice expressed dissatisfaction with her character's dialogue. Cherry testified Monday that he had demonstrated "to the open air" how Sheridan's Edie Britt should pinch actor Neal McDonough, who played her husband, even though the script didn't call for such action. When Sheridan appeared confused about his direction, Cherry then took it upon himself to "tap" her "upside the head." Asked by Sheridan's attorney Mark Baute whether his client had given him permission to lay his hands on her, Cherry replied: "I didn't need to. Permission was understood." Cherry corroborated Sheridan's claims that she was taken aback and said, "You hit me! You hit me! And it's not OK!" before walking out. He testified that he went to her trailer to apologize but does not recall doing so on "bended knee," as she claims. Cherry said he has "felt awful" about the incident for three and a half years.