The racial discrimination lawsuit against Paula Deen has been dismissed by a federal judge in Savannah, Georgia.
Lisa Jackson, who had worked for Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House Inc. on Whitemarsh Island as a general manager for five years filed the lawsuit against Deen, her brother, Earl “Bubba” Hiers Jr. and Paula Deen Enterprises, claiming numerous acts of sexual and racial harassment.
U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. ruled against Jackson today in the racial discrimination phase of the trial. According to TMZ, the ruling was handed down because Jackson, who is white, is not the color of the people being discriminated against.
“Her difficulties do not fall within the zone of interests sought to be protected by Title VII and cannot support a claim of racial discrimination under the statute,” Moore ruled.
Deen's camp reacted to the dismissal by releasing a statement:
"We are pleased with the Court's ruling today that Lisa Jackson's claims of race discrimination have been dismissed. 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."
Deen's empire began to crumble when she admitted during a deposition in the case that she had used the N-word and told racist jokes in the past.
The celebrity cook was fired by The Food Network following the admission. She also lost endorsement deals. Sears, Kmart, J.C. Penny, Walgreens, Novo Nordisk, Home Depot, Caesar's Palace and Smithfield Foods all decided to either stop selling her products or cut ties with her.
Deen's estimated financial losses from the fallout is around $12.5 million.
The "Butter Queen" is not out of the woods yet in the discrimination case. She still has to defend her company against allegations by Jackson that she was sexually harassed on the job.
You can read the 20-page ruling handed down by the judge HERE.
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