Ex-wife of billionaire oil tycoon 'ordered her chef to cook her guests black people food' at a $2,000-a-night luxury ranch

• e-mail

Madeleine Pickens, pictured, is accused of telling her former chef not to serve 'white people food' at her Nevada resort

The ex-wife of a billionaire told a chef to cook her guests 'black people food' at her $2,000 a night ranch and horse sanctuary, court paper have revealed.

Madeleine Pickens, who recently divorced Texas oil tycoon T.Boone Pickens, is accused of telling former chef Armand Appling not to serve 'white people food' at her Mustang Wild Horse Eco-Resort in Nevada.

Appling claims he was fired in 2014 for complaining about working in a hostile work environment and has now filed a federal lawsuit accusing her of racial discrimination.

He accuses the wealthy philanthropist of telling him fried chicken, BBQ ribs and corn bread would be the perfect meal for the tourists who pay more than $2,000 per night to stay at the plush resort.

He says Pickens' stereotypical references were commonplace at the Elko County ranch in Nevada, close to the border with Utah.

Appling, who is African American, also alleges that Pickens, who is white, instructed him to terminate two other black kitchen staffers — one she referred to as her 'bull' or 'ox' and another who had 'too much personality.'

He says she told him they didn't 'look like people we have working at the country club' and didn't 'fit the image' of the staff she wanted at the ranch.

However, Pickens' lawyers argue that even if all the allegations are true, none of her comments were racially motivated.

At worst, Pickens' remarks 'reflect a non-racial personality conflict and amount to discourtesy, rudeness or lack of sensitivity,' they wrote in recent court filings.

Armand Appling (pictured) claims he was fired by Pickens in 2014 for complaining about working in a hostile work environment

Appling has since filed a federal lawsuit accusing Pickens of racial discrimination

Pickens, right, pictured with her former husband T. Boone Pickens, a Oklahoma energy tycoon

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said during a hearing in Reno last week that Appling's lawyers have failed so far to prove the sort of racial hostility needed to win such a civil rights claim.

She dismissed the original lawsuit that was filed in February but gave them until January 13 to refile an amended complaint seeking unspecified damages from Pickens' nonprofit, Save America's Mustangs.

'It takes a lot to prove these allegations,' Du told California attorney Willie Williams on Thursday.

Du agreed with Pickens' lawyer, Dora Lane of Reno, that the only comment that specifically referred to race was the reference to 'black people food.'

Lane said categorizing foods by ethnicity is commonplace in the restaurant industry. Some restaurants serve Mexican food, others Chinese or Thai food, she said.

Pickens' ranch, known as Mustang Monument (pictured), bills itself as a 'Luxury American Safari vacation' in Nevada's Spruce Mountains

Pickens' lawyers are arguing that even if all the allegations are true, none of her comments to Appling were racially motivated

They argued that, at worst, Pickens' remarks amounted to 'discourtesy, rudeness or lack of sensitivity', according to recent court filings

'The suggestion that such categorizations are inherently offensive is nonsense,' Lane argued in earlier court documents.

'This is especially true here, given that Pickens' alleged comments actually reflect a preference for "black people food" rather than a racial animas against "black people" or "black people food.'''

Williams said Pickens' comments about the fired employees 'not fitting in' reinforces a long history of African-Americans not being allowed into elite, private-club settings.

He said: 'In many cases, the people fighting to keep African-Americans out of these private clubs would use code phrases like "they do not fit the image."'

He added the use of the words 'ox' and 'bull' implies ownership of property, given 'America's long history of slavery where they were considered personal property of their owners.'

Guests at Mustang Monument can opt to sleep in a luxury tipi, which costs $1,650 per night

Or guests can pay more than $2,000 a night to stay at the plush cottages inside the resort

Lane argued it was a complimentary reference to physical strength and 'was not accompanied by any overtly racial slurs.'

'Indeed, Appling does not allege that he ever heard any overtly racial epithets, such as the 'N-word,'' she wrote in court documents.

But Williams told the judge last week the comments must be viewed in the context of racial stereotypes.

Du agreed that Lane's arguments focus on the 'plain meaning of words' while seemingly ignoring the context of comments made about 'African-Americans in history and stereotypes that could give rise to racial animas.'

'If the alleged comments were not directed at him, but others who look like him, it may affect his work environment,' the judge said.

Horseback riding is among the number of activities offered at the resort 

Pickens is currently creating a sanctuary for wild Mustangs who previously lived in captivity