Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Against Paula Deen Thrown Out
Celebrity

A judge rules that Lisa Jackson, a former manager on Deen's restaurant, has no right to claim racial discrimination because she's white.

AceShowbiz - Paula Deen has scored a win in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed against her by her former employee. On Monday, August 12, a federal judge tossed the claim, agreeing with Deen's lawyers that Lisa Jackson, who sued the celebirty cook and her brother Earl "Bubba" Hiers, has no standing to file the claim because she's white.

U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. said in his ruling that Jackson, at best, "is an accidental victim of the alleged racial discrimination." He added, "There are no allegations that defendant Hiers's racially offensive comments were either directed toward plaintiff or made with the intent to harass her."

Jackson also claimed that Hiers sexually harassed her when she worked at the Savannah restaurant, which is co-owned by Deen but mostly run by her brother, from 2005 to 2010. The judge let stand the sexual harassment claims but noted that he was reserving the chance to rule on requests from Deen's lawyers to dismiss other claims in the lawsuit.

Deen, through her publicist, has responded to the ruling. "As Ms. Deen has stated before, she is confident that those who truly know how she lives her life know that she believes in equal opportunity, kindness and fairness for everyone," Elana Weiss stated in an e-mail to FoxNews.com.

In her lawsuit filed in December 2012, Jackson who was a manager at the restaurant claimed she was subjected to racial harassment and a hostile work environment where racist remarks were made by Hiers against the restaurant's African-American employees. She said she was personally offended because she had biracial nieces.

Since news of the lawsuit spread wide in June this year, Deen has lost many endorsements and deals, including being dropped by Food Network on which she hosted "Paula's Best Dishes".

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