Jury weighs discrimination case of renowned California chef
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A three-week pregnancy discrimination trial against celebrity chef Thomas Keller and his acclaimed New York and Napa Valley restaurants is coming to a close.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that lawyers finished closing arguments Monday in Napa County Superior Court and the jury began deliberations.
Vanessa Scott-Allen is seeking more than $1 million in damages from the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group.
Scott-Allen worked at Per Se in New York for five years before requesting a transfer to the French Laundry. After moving to Napa Valley, she was told there was no job for her, just weeks after telling managers she was pregnant.
Scott-Allen's attorney accused the Keller group of fraud and pregnancy discrimination. Defense attorneys say Scott-Allen was never formally offered a job transfer and call it a misunderstanding.
