A former model on the Price is Right won $8.5 million in a discrimination lawsuit that claimed the show refused to take her back after she returned from maternity leave.
Along with several other sparkly gown-wearing hostesses, Brandi Cochran, 41, showcased items and presented prizes to contestants on the long-running game show from 2002 to 2009.
She claimed that when she told the producers that she was pregnant and expecting twins in December 2008, they began treating her poorly, made disparaging remarks about her eating habits and weight gain, and removed her from the show’s website.
One of the twins was stillborn in February 2009; her daughter was born prematurely the following month. Cochran claimed her pregnancy was the reason she was not rehired when she returned to work in early 2010.
The producers claimed they were satisfied with the five models working on the show at the time Cochran asked to return.
After telling the judge several times they were deadlocked, the jurors in the case found that Cochran, a former Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, was entitled to $776,000 in compensatory damages, but rejected her claims of mental hardship.
The next day, the jurors came back after the second phase of the trial and awarded Cochran $7.7 million in punitive damages.
“I hope my case will help other women in the same situation,” Cochran said after the verdict.
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