Brittany Boltinhouse sues Miss USA for defamation

Brittany Boltinhouse, the former Miss North Carolina USA, has filed a defamation lawsuit in Duplin County Superior Court against the Miss USA organization, its chairman Thom Brodeur, and A Blaize Productions. The lawsuit follows Boltinhouse's removal from her title earlier this month.

Boltinhouse alleges that the defendants created a false public narrative that branded her as a racist, homophobic, and transphobic bigot. While the complaint acknowledges that social media posts from 2017 and 2019 contained a racial slur, Boltinhouse argues that her removal was actually motivated by her conservative Christian and political views.

The legal action claims that pageant officials attempted to force her to approve an apology statement that she refused to sign. Boltinhouse alleges that Brodeur later made public statements implying she had accepted accountability, which she claims damaged her reputation. She is seeking more than $25,000 in damages.