A federal judge in Georgia dismissed racial discrimination claims against celebrity chef Paula Deen on Monday. The judge said her accuser, Lisa Jackson, was white and therefore not a target of the discrimination.
Howard Bragman,Vice Chairman of Reputation.com and Chairman of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations, said on Jansing & Co. Tuesday that the judge’s decision “gives her a chance to really start to climb out of the hole.”
Controversy, however, is still cooking for Deen. Bragman explained, “that was the worst mistake she made, was letting a million-dollar lawsuit take down her empire.”
After Deen admitted to using racial slurs in the past, she lost millions in endorsements and deals.
Bragman said that time is a great ingredient in the recipe for the chef’s recovery. Moving forward, he suggested that Deen should collaborate with her sons.
“Instead of the Paula Deen brand, the Deen family brand," Bragman said. "Try and take some of those relationships that were in jeopardy, move them to the family. It's also a succession plan which is very good for any business.”