Former Miss USA wins $7.7 million damages from The Price is Right

(L-R) Rachel Reynolds, Brandi Sherwood Cochran, Drew Carey and Tomeka Nash

Former Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Brandi Sherwood Cochran.

A former Miss USA who worked as an assistant on the US daytime television game show “The Price is Right” has been awarded $7.7 million in damages after suing her employers for not letting her return to work after giving birth.  The amount was in addition to $775,000 in compensatory damages awarded to 41-year-old Brandi Cochran on Tuesday, after the jury in the case ruled that the producers of the show had acted with malice by not taking her back after her pregnancy.  The jury rejected Mrs Cochran’s claim for mental hardship she said she had suffered.

“I hope my case will help other women in the same situation,” she said outside the Los Angeles courtroom after the trial.  Producers for “The Price is Right” said they planned to appeal.  Mrs Cochran, who is married to a soap-opera actor Dean Cochran, told the Los Angeles Superior Court the show’s producers began treating her poorly after she told them in December 2008 that she was expecting twins.

The former Miss USA and Miss Teen USA told the court that once she was pregnant, producers made disparaging remarks about her eating habits and weight, and removed her from the show’s website.

The show’s comedian host Drew Carey backed the producers in testimony earlier this month.

Mrs Cochran worked as model on the show from 2002 until January 2009. Her son was stillborn in February 2009 and her daughter was born prematurely the following month. Mrs Cochran said she asked to return to the show, but was turned down in February 2010.