Despite the scandal and lawsuit that essentially tore apart her empire, celebrity chef Paula Deen has been cleared of the racial discrimination claims made against her.
The Wrap reports that U.S. District Court judge William T. Moore Jr. dismissed the claims today that were brought against Deen by former restaurant employee Lisa Jackson, who is white. There are, however, still sexual harassment claims in the lawsuit.
Jackson said that at Deen's co-owned restaurant Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, Deen's brother, Earl W. "Bubba" Hiers, was responsible for producing a racially hostile work environment. She also argued that Deen did nothing to stop the behavior.
According to court papers obtained by TheWrap, Deen claimed that Jackson "lacks standing to pursue her racial discrimination claims because she does not allege that she suffered any discrimination because of her race."
The initial controversy that involved Deen's use of racial slurs, which she admitted to after being questioned by Jackson's lawyers, caused the chef to be dropped by the Food Network and a large number of business partners.
The decision made by the judge today, however, has reportedly left Deen optimistic.
"We are pleased with the court’s ruling today that Lisa Jackson's claims of race discrimination have been dismissed," Deen's rep told People. "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."
Image: Deen's Twitter