Patty Duke is accusing the Manhattan Ensemble Theater Company, producer of Golda's Balcony, of discrimination. In a recently filed suit against MET, Duke alleges that the company dropped her from the national tour of the show because of her heart condition, according to The New York Post.
In early 2005, Duke herself reported on her website that she would be starring in the national tour of Golda's Balcony, kicking off in the fall of 2005 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. However in April 2005 Valerie Harper was announced to headline the tour, with no official reason given for the switch. Harper has been on the road with the show since November 2005.
In her lawsuit, Duke alleges that MET and founder David Fishelson dismissed her after a meeting in which she said her heart-bypass surgery which she underwent in November 2004 caused her to pull out of a television project. "They, mistakenly, perceived her to be disabled and unable to perform," the suit reportedly states, adding that Duke was in fact capable of performing. The matter "damaged" her career according to papers filed. Duke is suing for $2.5 million.
