Melissa Joan Hart sued for racial discrimination

Melissa Joan Hart has blasted the "vicious allegations" of racial discrimination in a lawsuit launched by an ex-employee.

The Sabrina The Teenage Witch star and chiefs at her 'Sweetharts' candy company have been sued by Shana Kharineh, who claimed that she was fired from a store in California due to her ethnicity.

Kharineh, who managed the establishment before her dismissal in August, claimed that she was given a special uniform after bosses decided that "black on black did not look appropriate".

She also said that she was forced to work 60 hours a week with no overtime or breaks, during which she was "berated and humiliated" by co-workers.

Kharineh suggested in legal papers filed in Los Angeles on Thursday that her complaints about working conditions also contributed to her dismissal.

In response, a spokesperson for Hart told E!: "While the shop was her vision, Melissa does not currently function in a day-to-day operational capacity, and has never met Shana Kharineh.

"Sweetharts Sweets is an equal opportunity employer, as is Melissa Joan Hart. Neither Sweetharts Sweets nor Melissa engages in or condones any form of discrimination whatsoever. There is no basis whatsoever to these vicious allegations."

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