Lawyers settle Paula Deen lawsuit in Georgia

[onehandle]

Source: AP



SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Lawyers signed a deal Friday to drop a discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit against celebrity cook Paula Deen, who was dropped by the Food Network and other business partners after she said under oath that she had used racial slurs in the past.

A document filed in U.S. District Court in Savannah said both sides agreed to drop the lawsuit "without any award of costs or fees to any party." No other details of the agreement were released. The judge in the case had not signed an order to finalize the dismissal.

Former employee Lisa Jackson last year sued Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers, saying she suffered from sexual harassment and racially offensive talk and employment practices that were unfair to black workers during her five years as a manager of Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House.

The dismissal deal came less than two weeks after Judge William T. Moore dismissed the race discrimination claims, ruling Jackson, who is white, had no standing to sue over what she said was poor treatment of black workers. He let Jackson's claims of sexual harassment stand, but those were dropped in the deal between the lawyers.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/lawyers-settle-paula-deen-lawsuit-georgia-204535189.html

[Earth_First]

1. Hostile work environment is a hostile work envrionment..

Race, sexual orientation, etc. is irrelevant.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Exactly. Just because she was white doesn't mean she didn't suffer.

The judge is demented.

[cstanleytech]

4. "The judge is demented."

Odd, if that was true then you would think he would have dismissed the whole case but he didnt.

[Supersedeas]

9. yeah, now it's time to disparage the Judge

[LovingA2andMI]

3. Can anyone say....

Financial settlement with a NON-DISCLOSURE agreement? More likely than not, this is what happened.

[cstanleytech]

5. The article clearly says there was no exchange of cash

"both sides agreed to drop the lawsuit "without any award of costs or fees to any party."

[LovingA2andMI]

6. And it does not say that

A Non-Disclosure agreement NOT was signed. Nor will it. That is the nature of a non-disclosure agreement.

[cstanleytech]

7. Then wouldnt it have just said ""both sides agreed to drop the lawsuit."?

I dont think the judge would agree to sign off on a lie now which is what the judge would be doing after that statement and if the judge was aware of a settlement involving cash.

[DeschutesRiver]

10. That means court costs (filing fees, etc) and attorney fees. It does not mean there was no exchange

of other cash between the parties.

It simply means exactly what it says and no more, ie that the court case is being dismissed without the judge awarding cost/fees.

The parties could have settled amongst themselves already, thus there is no need for the lawsuit to continue.

I do not know if that is what happened. But the way this was dismissed says nothing to me about whether a settlement was reached outside court by these parties. Lawsuits are for when you dont agree about something. If parties reach an agreement to settle for cash, then they no longer need to continue with the lawsuit.

[Jefferson23]

8. snip* 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.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/showbiz/paula-deen-lawsuit/

[Supersedeas]

11. not settlement will repair to stain on her reputation