The second part of the lawsuit brought against Paula Deen will be “will be dismissed by agreement,” according to a court filing Friday, reports CNN.
It was not immediately clear Friday afternoon whether there was a settlement in the civil suit, but a description on a federal court website labeled the filing as a “settlement agreement.” A federal judge in Georgia had not signed off on the agreement, according to the filing.
The proceedings will be dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning the lawsuit cannot be filed again. The parties agreed the dismissal would be “without any award of costs or fees to any party,” according to the posting on the federal court website.
Earlier this month, the portion of the lawsuit that involved racial discrimination was dismissed. The court ruled, that as a white woman, the defendant, Lisa Jackson, could not sue for racial discrimination. She was an employee at two Georgia restaurants, run by Paula and her brother, Bubba Hiers. The defendant claimed Paula and Bubba committed “numerous acts of violence, discrimination and racism” that resulted in the end of her 5 year employment.
When excerpts from the deposition related to the case were leaked, (that included Paula admitting to using the N word, and planning a “slave themed” wedding for her brother) the firestorm afterward led to Paula losing many of her endorsements.
Via CNN
On Friday, Paula released a statement that said she believes “in kindness and fairness for everyone.”
“While this has been a difficult time for both my family and myself, I am pleased that the judge dismissed the race claims and I am looking forward to getting this behind me, now that the remaining claims have been resolved.”
“Moving forward my team and I are working to review the workplace environment issues that were raised in this matter and to retool all of my businesses operations. I look forward to getting back to doing what I love.”
Now that the lawsuit is nearly in her past, we’ll see if Paula can rebuild her career. The corporate world may be hesitant to reclaim her, but Paula’s got a grassroots fanbase that may help change their minds.
