Settlement talks were ordered by a judge in Nicollete Sheridan’s legal battle with her former "Desperate Housewives" bosses, after the judge vacated a September retrial date, reports TheWrap.com.

"Judge Elizabeth Allen White of Los Angeles Superior Court vacated the retrial date after admitting to being confused by wording in a writ issued by the court of appeals which put a temporary stay on the retrial," the story notes. The judge called the language "puzzling."

Nevertheless, the judge ordered the lawyers for both sides to return to settlement talks.

Sheridan originally sued ABC and Touchstone for $20 million claiming she was improperly fired after and that she was slapped by series creator Marc Cherry in a fight, the story notes.