Brittany Boltinhouse has sued the Miss USA Organisation after losing her Miss North Carolina USA crown. The beauty queen claimed officials falsely branded her racist and bigoted. Her lawsuit also accused pageant officials of defamation and civil conspiracy.
Brittany Boltinhouse sues Miss USA after losing her Miss North Carolina USA crown.
According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Boltinhouse named the Miss USA Organization and CEO Thom Brodeur. She also named the operators of the Miss North Carolina USA pageant. She alleged that officials smeared her publicly after removing her crown.
Her attorney, Patrick Mincey, said the case focused on what happened afterward. He argued that officials labeled Boltinhouse racist, homophobic, and transphobic. He also claimed her political views influenced the decision to remove her.
Boltinhouse reportedly supported Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk. She had also criticized President Biden’s Transgender Day of Visibility. Her lawsuit claimed officials used old social media posts as a reason to remove her.
The controversy began after old posts from 2017 and 2019 resurfaced. The posts showed Boltinhouse repeatedly using the N-word. She acknowledged making the posts but denied being racist, homophobic, or transphobic.
Her lawsuit included screenshots of the posts as part of its filing. Boltinhouse’s defense argued that she wrote them as a teenager. It also claimed that she neither intended nor caused offense when she originally posted them.
The former beauty queen previously refused to apologize for using the racial slur. She said the backlash had harmed her reputation and affected her professional opportunities. She is now seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the defendants.
The lawsuit also highlighted Boltinhouse’s family background. It stated that her late paternal great-grandfather identified as Black and Afro-Latino Honduran. However, the filing’s central argument remained focused on the alleged reputational damage.
For now, the dispute has shifted from Boltinhouse’s crown to the claims surrounding her removal. A jury would ultimately determine any damages if the case proceeds to trial.
