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At the end of a nightmarish summer for Paula Deen, the legal battle at the heart of her downfall has ultimately swung her way. But the details of the lawsuit may have already done more damage than a court ruling against the polarizing celebrity chef ever could.

Monday, a federal judge dismissed a racial discrimination lawsuit brought on by Lisa Jackson, a white, former employee at one of Ms. Deen鈥檚 restaurants in Savannah, Ga. Ms. Jackson had claimed that widespread discrimination against black workers made the workplace environment difficult for her. However, Judge William T. Moore Jr., of the Federal District Court in Savannah ruled that Ms. Jackson didn鈥檛 qualify for racial discrimination protection under federal law, calling her no more than 鈥渁n accidental victim of the alleged racial discrimination.鈥�

He went on to say that allowing Jackson鈥檚 suit to go forward would 鈥渟erve to conscript federal courts as human-resources departments that are responsible for imposing and monitoring a federally created standard for harmony in the workplace.鈥�

Deen鈥檚 camp was pleased with the outcome, and released the following statement through spokeswoman Elana Weiss Rose: 鈥淎s 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.鈥�

But the victory may be a hollow one. Unfounded or no, Jackson鈥檚 lawsuit set off a speedy chain of events that culminated in the end of her run on television and the loss of millions in licensing and endorsement deals. First, she admitted in a court deposition that she had used the 'N-word' in the past. From there, additional case-related details, including her alleged desire to use an all-black waitstaff at to cater a Southern plantation-style wedding, further painted Deen as a racist. A series of ill-received public apologies later, and she was dropped from the Food Network, sponsors fled in droves, and a cookbook set for a fall release was canceled.

Public relations experts doubt the case鈥檚 dismissal will reverse the tide. Some, including Reputation.com chairman Howard Bragman, speaking to USA Today, even compared her circumstance to that of OJ Simpson, 鈥渨ho won in the court of law but lost in the court of public opinion.... You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube now. It's going to be really challenging for her to piece this together,鈥� he told the newspaper.

The cuts to Deen鈥檚 reputation have only gotten deeper since the Food Network dropped her in June. Last month, The New York Times published a profile of Dora Charles, a cook who worked closely with Deen in the decades before she was a television star. In the damning Times story, Ms. Charles, who now lives in a trailer outside Savannah, claimed that Deen treated her unfairly and didn鈥檛 provide adequate financial support for Charles鈥� role in building the Deen empire. 鈥淚鈥檓 not trying to portray that she is a bad person,鈥� Charles told the Times. 鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to put my story out there that she didn鈥檛 treat me fairly and I was her soul sister.鈥�

And the legal battle isn鈥檛 over. The dismissal didn鈥檛 apply to Jackson鈥檚 allegations of sexual harassment against Deen鈥檚 brother, Earl 鈥淏ubba鈥� Hiers. That part of the case will move forward.

Deen has been absent from public view since a tearful 鈥淭oday鈥� show appearance in late June. She reportedly turned down an offer to appear on ABC鈥檚 鈥淒ancing with the Stars鈥� last week. Her supporters, meanwhile, have made plenty of noise. One movement, called 鈥淏utter for Paula,鈥� is encouraging the chef鈥檚 fans to send protest letters written on butter wrappers to Food Network, QVC, Wal-Mart, and other corporate entities that parted ways with her in the wake of the June controversy. The 鈥淲e Support Paula Deen鈥� Facebook page currently has 612,000 fans.聽