In this corner: Former 'Desperate Housewives' star Nicollette Sheridan ... in this corner: ABC, as the network has hired an attorney and is set fight back against the lawsuit Sheridan has filed against her former employer.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, ABC has hired an employment litigation specialist attorney in Los Angeles, with the intent of making Sheridan and her attorneys fork over private documents related to her assault and harassment lawsuit against ABC and 'Desperate Housewives' creator Marc Cherry.
ABC's hired gun: Adam Levin, who successfully defended Warner Bros. Television against a famous sexual harassment suit filed by a writer's assistant on 'Friends' nearly a decade ago. THR.com reports that Levin has served Team Sheridan with requests for info and a videotaped deposition from the actress, which could be scheduled for as early as August.

"We intend to delve into the merits of her claims, all of which we strenuously dispute," Levin told THR, while Sheridan's attorneys declined to comment.

At the center of the $20 million lawsuit Sheridan, the former Edie Britt on 'DH,' filed against ABC and Cherry in April: Allegations that Cherry hit her while on the 'DH' set, and engaged in a pattern of abusive behavior against her, ultimately leading to her dismissal from the show and the killing off of her character.

Says ABC/Cherry: Uh-uh. After an investigation into Sheridan's claims before she filed the lawsuit, the network concluded that the physical abuse Sheridan alleges was actually a "light tap" by Cherry, who was trying to instruct Sheridan in a scene for the show.

ABC's hiring of Levin indicates that, despite rumors in a British media report, the network isn't interested in privately settling the case with Sheridan. "We have served subpoenas and are vigorously moving forward with our defense," Levin tells THR, which means that ABC is also seeking evidence from Sheridan's agents at Innovative Artists and Don Buchwald & Associates, and from her publicity reps at BWR, as well.

ABC and Cherry have until the end of June to file a formal response to Sheridan's recently amended lawsuit against the company and Cherry, and Sheridan could respond to the response -- and request for info -- as early as July, but the legal maze aside, the bottom line is that the lawsuit could take some even uglier turns.

The actress' claims that the ABC/Cherry situation caused her emotional distress also means she could be called upon to prove she suffered pain; on the flip side, Levin could subpoena her private medical records as evidence to try and prove she didn't.