NEW YORK CITY: Lesbian Chef Wins $1.6M Suit Against "Pray Away The Gay" Boss

A lesbian chef has won a $1.6M lawsuit against her former employer, who would gather staffers together to pray aloud that God would cure the gay ones.

Jurors awarded lesbian chef Mirella Salemi the fat payout in her battle against the former owner of Mary Ann’s on West Broadway for making her life hell by holding employee prayer meetings inside the restaurant where she worked for six years. “He not only threatened her soul, but he also threatened her livelihood,” said Derek Smith, a lawyer for Salemi. “He thought praying might cure her of her sexuality, but she is someone who didn’t need to be saved.” The Manhattan jury ordered the holy-roller restaurant big and Mary Ann’s to fork over $1.2 million in punitive damages and $400,000 in compensatory damages to Salemi, who quit in 2007.

Mary Ann's still operates in four locations.