LOS ANGELES – Laurence Fishburne's former personal assistant is suing him for allegedly firing her because she was pregnant and single, her lawyer said Wednesday.
Kristal Crews filed the lawsuit against the actor in Superior Court on Tuesday, seeking unspecified damages.
"He told her that he didn't think single women should have children," Crews' attorney Nikki Tolt said.
Fishburne's attorney, Lawrence Gartner, denied the allegations, saying in a statement that during Crews' employment "she was always treated in a fair and professional manner."
"It is unfortunate that the visibility of actors causes people to say all kinds of things about them for what we can only assume are their own purposes. We are confident that Mr. Fishburne will be vindicated in these proceedings," Gartner said in the statement issued by the actor's spokesman, Alan Nierob.
Tolt alleged that several months after Crews became pregnant and requested special accommodation for a film shoot in New Orleans, Fishburne told his assistant she would be fired.
"He told her he was going to fire her on her due date. What a sweetheart," Tolt said.
Tolt said Crews worked for Fishburne on the day she gave birth, a month early, in November 2004, and that stress forced the woman to have an emergency Caesarean section.
Crews' termination date was then extended to Jan. 17, 2005, the day she was supposed to return from her pregnancy leave, Tolt said.
Fishburne stars in the upcoming film "Akeelah," about an inner-city girl who makes it to a national spelling bee.
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