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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A judge has approved the appointment of a retired bench officer to address discovery disputes in former "General Hospital" actor Ingo Rademacher's lawsuit against ABC, in which the plaintiff alleges he was wrongfully fired in 2021 after 25 years with the show for opposing the network's directive to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen Goorvitch signed an order on Thursday appointing retired Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Lisa Hart Cole as a discovery referee after the plaintiff and the defense agreed the move is "in the interest of judicial efficiency."
Both sides will initially split the cost of Cole's services.
The 51-year-old Rademacher sued the network on Dec. 13, alleging the vaccine mandate is a violation of his "legally protected privacy interest in his bodily integrity and private medical information" and an "unlawful discrimination against his religious beliefs."
In addition to asking a judge to find the ABC vaccine mandate unconstitutional, Rademacher seeks compensatory damages.
Rademacher portrayed the character of tycoon Jasper "Jax" Jacks on "General Hospital." He is a member of the board of Heal the Bay, a Santa Monica-based environmental organization.