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SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

Friday, March 29, 2024

Chili's dismissed from racial termination suit

Morgan

Chili's Restaurant has been dismissed from a suit brought by a former manager, who claims she lost her job based on the color of her skin.

As previously reported, Anjonette Henderson filed suit May 24, 2011, in Jefferson County District Court against Brinker International, doing business as Chili's Restaurant, and Stephen Pilant.

Court records show that on March 28 Henderson filed a motion for dismissal, stating that she no longer wished to pursue her claims against the defendants.

Judge Bob Wortham, 58th District Court, granted the motion on April 3, dismissing the defendants with prejudice.

Previously, Chili's had filed a motion to stay proceedings and compel arbitration on June 24, arguing that Henderson agreed to arbitrate any claims when she began employment with the company on June 20, 2006.

The motion stated that Chili's favored arbitration "because of, among other things, the delay and expense which result from the use of the court systems."

According to the lawsuit, Henderson claims she worked at Chili's as a manager for its Silsbee location when she lost her job on March 4, 2010.

"The Defendants, through Mr. Stephen Pilant, wrongly and falsely accused Plaintiff of theft, as a pretext for this termination," the suit states.

"Plaintiff would show that accusing an employee of theft wrongfully is malicious per se, and was clearly done for the purposes of causing the maximum harm to Plaintiff and to try to cover up the violations of the Texas Labor Code."

Henderson claimed Chili's wrongfully terminated her, violating the Texas Labor Code's anti-discrimination provisions.

John M. Morgan of Harris, Duesler and Hatfield in Beaumont represents her.

Chili's is represented by Beaumont attorney Robert Hambright of Orgain Bell & Tucker.

Case No. A190-091

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