SAVANNAH, Ga. (CN) - Paula Deen says the white woman suing her lacks standing to pursue claims over alleged racial harassment that caused the celebrity chef to lose endorsement deals.
Lisa Jackson, the former manager of one of Deen's restaurants, sued Deen; her brother Bubba Hiers; and their companies last year, alleging that Hiers had subjected her and the staff to sexual and racial harassment. Jackson claimed that Hiers, her supervisor at Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, watched pornography in the workplace, often made inappropriate comments, used racial slurs and was violent toward the primarily black kitchen staff. Jackson said she was forced to quit after enduring five years of harassment and abuse, which caused her panic attacks.
Hiers manages Uncle Bubba's and co-owns it with Deen, according to the complaint.
Though Deen was not involved in Uncle Bubba's daily operations, Jackson also claimed that she shared her brother's penchant for racial slurs and jokes.
When asked what kind of wedding she wanted to organize for her brother in 2007, Deen allegedly replied, "Well, what I would really like is a bunch of little niggers to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties, you know, like the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around."
Deen went on to say that she could not have a "true Southern plantation-style wedding" because of media scrutiny, according to the complaint.
During her May deposition in the case, Deen defended her brother's character and his ability to run Uncle Bubba's. She said she did not remember Jackson or other employees complaining about Hiers' conduct in the workplace.
"My brother and I, 25 years ago, quite by accident, each started a business and we each had $200 to start that business," Deen testified. "My brother built the most successful long-service business in Albany, Georgia with his $200. My brother is completely capable unless he's being sabotaged."
The 66-year-old grandmother claimed that Jackson lied about Hiers attacking an employee in the kitchen to force him to keep quiet about a racial slur incident he had witnessed. The employee also supposedly confirmed Hiers' story.
And when Paula Deen Enterprises hired outside consultants to address complaints at Uncle Bubba's, Jackson misled them and "blew things out of proportion," according to Deen's deposition.
Noting that her brother had admitted to viewing porn videos at work during his deposition, Deen said she never confronted Hiers about it and would not have disciplined him for it in any case.
"I - I know all the men in my family at one time or another they'll tell each other, look what so and so sent me on my phone, you know," Deen said. "It's just men being men."
Deen caught the most heat, however, for admitting that both her and Hiers had used racial slurs and had told "off-colored jokes."
"I'm sure those kind of jokes have been told," Deen said. "Every man I've ever come in contact with has one."
Saying that she "of course" had used the N word herself, Deen described an incident years ago "when a black man burst into the bank that I was working at and put a gun to my head."
Though Deen said she could not remember the specifics, she elaborated that "the gun was dancing all around my temple."