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KENANSVILLE, N.C. — Brittany Boltinhouse, the dethroned 2026 Miss North Carolina USA, has sued Miss USA and several pageant officials for defamation. She claims their public statements falsely portrayed her as racist, homophobic and transphobic after they removed her crown.

The lawsuit was filed Sunday in Duplin County Superior Court. It names Miss USA Chairman and CEO Thom Brodeur, JKN Universe LLC, A Blaize Productions LLC and state pageant directors Ariana and Nic Blaize as defendants.

Boltinhouse also accuses the defendants of civil conspiracy. She seeks compensatory, punitive, special and consequential damages, along with costs and attorney fees.

The allegations have not been proven in court. None of the defendants had filed a formal response as of Monday.

Brittany Boltinhouse Does Not Seek Crown’s Return

The complaint does not challenge the pageant organizations’ contractual authority to remove Boltinhouse or ask the court to restore her title. Instead, it targets what the defendants allegedly said and implied while announcing the decision.

Boltinhouse claims the defendants coordinated a public narrative that branded her an “intolerable bigot” and encouraged widespread condemnation. She argues that their statements damaged her reputation, businesses, relationships and future professional opportunities.

USA Herald reported Aug. 6 that A Blaize Productions ended Boltinhouse’s reign after what it described as a thorough review of recently surfaced information. The company said it consulted with the Miss USA Organization before making the decision.

Pageant officials did not publicly identify each post or incident considered during that review. Brodeur said the removal involved conduct occurring over an extended period rather than one isolated moment.

Complaint acknowledges posts containing racial slur

Boltinhouse does not deny publishing social media posts in 2017 and 2019 that contained a racial slur. The complaint includes screenshots of six posts and argues that Boltinhouse was a teenager who did not intend to offend anyone.

The lawsuit also discusses her support for President Donald Trump and conservative activist Charlie Kirk. It cites posts criticizing former President Joe Biden’s Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation and supporting other conservative political positions.

Boltinhouse also attended Trump’s speech in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. The complaint says she did not enter the U.S. Capitol or participate in the breach that followed.

According to Courthouse News Service, the complaint also acknowledges that Boltinhouse was involved in a fight as a teenager while defending her sister. She maintains that she disclosed that incident to pageant officials as required.

Boltinhouse contends the defendants used the combined material as a pretext for removing her because of her conservative politics and Christian beliefs. Pageant officials have denied that claim.

Dispute centers on an apology Boltinhouse rejected

One of the lawsuit’s central allegations concerns an apology prepared before the pageant publicly announced Boltinhouse’s removal.

The complaint says A Blaize Productions drafted a statement containing language about ownership, accountability and an apology. Boltinhouse claims she did not write, approve, sign or publish it.

Brodeur later said he had reviewed a forthcoming statement from Boltinhouse that demonstrated ownership and accountability. The lawsuit alleges his comments falsely implied that Boltinhouse had admitted to racist or discriminatory conduct and planned to apologize for it.

Boltinhouse argues that the statement’s existence, combined with Brodeur’s comments condemning racism, homophobia and transphobia, created a defamatory implication. She claims the defendants knew she had rejected the proposed apology.

The complaint includes transcripts from recorded conversations between Boltinhouse and pageant representatives. During one conversation, Nic Blaize reportedly told her that the decision involved the “totality” of her posts and did not concern her political affiliation.

“This is not about your Christian beliefs,” Blaize said, according to the transcript. “This is about defamatory things that you posted, and you said that were hurtful.”

Pageant officials defended removal

A Blaize Productions previously said titleholders accept an obligation to uphold the organization’s standards and values. The company said it believes people can grow but maintained that accountability must accompany that growth.

Brodeur also defended the removal while urging the public not to dehumanize Boltinhouse. He described a pageant title as a position of trust rather than a ceremonial prize.

“The Miss USA Organization does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, nor language that strips any person of their dignity,” Brodeur said in his earlier statement.

The complaint argues that placing those statements alongside the announcement of Boltinhouse’s removal invited the public to conclude she had engaged in every form of conduct Brodeur condemned. The defendants may argue that their statements reflected opinions, organizational standards or truthful descriptions of the review process.

Defamation case faces legal questions

To prevail, Boltinhouse must do more than show that the statements damaged her reputation. She must identify false statements of fact or actionable implications attributable to the defendants.

The court may also have to determine whether Boltinhouse became a limited-purpose public figure after seeking and winning a statewide title. If so, she could face the higher burden of proving that defendants knowingly published false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

North Carolina courts apply that actual-malice standard when a defamation plaintiff qualifies as a public figure. The state Supreme Court examined that requirement in Desmond v. News & Observer Publishing Co..

The defendants could also argue that the undisputed social media posts supported their public statements. Boltinhouse’s case, however, focuses on whether officials went beyond discussing the posts and falsely represented that she admitted to racism, homophobia or transphobia.

No court has determined whether the pageant’s statements were false, defamatory or protected expression.

Lawsuit arrives days before Miss USA pageant

Boltinhouse won the Miss North Carolina USA title June 28 after competing as Miss Wilmington. Organizers ended her reign Aug. 5, approximately five weeks after her coronation.

First runner-up Myla Hadley assumed the title and will represent North Carolina at the 75th annual Miss USA competition Thursday in Miami.

Boltinhouse is not asking the court to stop Hadley from competing. Her lawsuit instead seeks damages for the crown, national competition, sponsorships, endorsements and other opportunities she says she lost.

The case now moves the controversy from social media into a courtroom, where the defendants’ exact words, internal discussions and proposed apology could receive closer scrutiny. The central question will be whether pageant officials merely explained a discretionary decision or crossed the line by publicly assigning beliefs and admissions to Boltinhouse that she says were never hers.