A wildly popular Georgia restaurant at the center of a lawsuit that left the reputation of famed Southern celebrity cook Paula Deen in shambles has reportedly closed.
The Savannah Morning News (http://bit.ly/1owsS1s ) and WSAV television (http://bit.ly/1gseldc ) both reported Thursday that Uncle Bubba's Seafood & Oyster House announced the closure on its Facebook page. Both also cited a statement from a public relations firm representing the Savannah-based restaurant. Contact information for the firm could not be obtained immediately.
Deen co-owned the restaurant with her brother Bubba Hiers. Former restaurant manager Lisa Jackson sued them both in 2012, alleging sexual harassment and employment practices that were unfair to black workers.
The lawsuit was dismissed after lawyers reached a deal, but Deen's reputation was seriously damaged after she admitted during legal proceedings that she had used racial slurs in the past.