Owner of Braddock restaurant sues mayor on defamation claim

A Braddock restaurant owner who has feuded with the town’s mayor on Facebook has sued her and the borough, saying they have harassed him with false claims of racism and COVID-19 violations in an effort to keep out white-owned businesses.

Portogallo Peppers N’at, owned by Robert Portogallo, on Monday filed the federal complaint against Mayor Chardae Jones and the borough on counts of defamation and civil rights violations.

The suit accuses the mayor of stating on Facebook that Mr. Portogallo is racist because of postings on his restaurant’s own Facebook page and directing police to investigate the restaurant for alleged COVID-19 violations.

The restaurant’s Facebook page posts its schedule and menus but also videos and comments “in the nature of political satire and parody,” the lawsuit says.

Among them was a meme posted in August that depicted Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of

Health Dr. Rachel Levine as Nazis in a protest against COVID- 19 restrictions. After media attention, Mr. Portogallo deleted the post and apologized, saying he didn’t know Dr. Levine is Jewish.

On her Facebook page, Ms. Jones had called the post “offensive” and said “hate should not be the basis of a joke.”

According to the suit, the mayor had published other critical comments in April that targeted the restaurant and in November described Mr. Portogallo as “transphobic, anti-Semitic and racist.” She also said the restaurant “does not follow the rules” and that it “makes up its own rules,” a reference to COVID-19 violations.

The suit says her comments are defamatory and hurt his business.

The complaint also says Ms. Jones and Braddock employees made false complaints to the Allegheny County Health Department and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board about COVID19 violations. Those complaints led to an investigation by the health department on Nov. 25, according to the suit.

“Peppers N’AT believes that Defendants’ actions were racially motivated as part of an effort to keep Caucasian owned businesses out of Braddock,” the suit said.

Ms. Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment.