Discrimination suit against CBS, WGA revived

A Hispanic screenwriter's $138 million discrimination lawsuit against CBS and the Writers Guild of America has been partially reinstated by a federal appeals court, Reuters reports.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that Migdia Chinea-Varela, whose suit was dismissed in 1999, should have been permitted to amend her complaint to conform with rules that pleadings carry "a short and plain statement of the case."

Chinea-Varela, founder of the WGAW Latino Writers Committee, sued CBS and the Writer's Guild alleging they had violated the civil rights of Hispanic writers by forcing them into training positions tha paid half the minimum wage of WGA contracts. CBS and the WGA have denied the allegations.