Q: What is the status of the lawsuit that Victoria Rowell filed against "The Young and the Restless"? — Parnell of Virginia Beach, Virginia

A: First, a little background on the suit, which has a soapy feel to it. Rowell (Dru, "The Young and the Restless") says, "I quit."

CBS says, "So long."

Rowell says, "I changed my mind. I want to come home."

CBS says, "Sorry. We already rented out your room."

In a statement at the time the lawsuit was filed, her attorney said, "Ms. Rowell made Drucilla Winters one of the most compelling characters ever to appear on daytime television. In refusing to re-employ her, the defendants aren't just hurting Ms. Rowell; they're acting against their own economic self-interest."

Another of her attorneys added, "Rowell has committed the crime of being black in American entertainment. She had the audacity to speak out on issues affecting African Americans. She is an icon who is not welcome by the powers that be simply because she has condemned the second-class status of African Americans in television."

At the time, CBS responded that Rowell left "The Young and the Restless" on her own initiative. "Ms. Rowell has attempted to rewrite that history through lawyers' letters and a lawsuit that has no merit," said the network's statement. "We harbor no ill will toward Ms. Rowell, but we will vigorously defend this case."

Several of Rowell's cast mates stated that they never saw any racial discrimination on the set. In fact, the show has more African-American central characters than any other daytime drama (although in recent months all the other daytime soaps have added African-American characters).

One actor, who did not want the wrath of Rowell to fall on him, said, "She is a wonderful actress. She was also very difficult. She would note the number of lines she had on a show and put it against other actors on screen time and lines. I'm an actor so I get the ego, but this was weird."

Through the years Rowell has openly discussed what she considers anti-African-American actions on the set. Rowell claims one of the leading ladies donned a black wig to make fun of her. She also claims that co-star Michelle Stafford (formerly Phyllis) purposely spit on her during a scene. Stafford swears it was not intentional, just done in the heat of the acting moment.

When one of her former co-stars, Kristoff St. John, was being interviewed on Jamie Foxx's radio show, Rowell called in and virtually hijacked the interview to talk about what she considered mistreatment on the show.

On Nov. 10, a California district judge sided with the network. Sony Pictures Television and CBS won their bid to dismiss Victoria Rowell's lawsuit alleging she was systematically discriminated against during her time on "The Young and the Restless."

"Plaintiff's first and second causes of action for failure to rehire on Y&R are dismissed, with leave to amend, if Plaintiff can do so in good faith and in conformance with the analysis in this Order," the judge declared.

In true soap-opera cliffhanger style, the court did find that Rowell could bring on another suit if she had further evidence to support her claim.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page atwww.creators.com.