Miss America Group says lawsuit is part 'a year-long orchestrated smear campaign'
137 views · Published 25 December 2018 · 0:52 · Indexed 29 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · Entertainment
(20 Dec 2018) MISS AMERICA GROUP SAYS LAWSUIT IS PART OF SMEAR A former board member and four states that have had their licenses terminated by the Miss America Organization are suing the group and its top leaders, claiming ``an illegal and bad-faith takeover'' of the pageant. A lawsuit filed Wednesday (19 DEC. 2018) in Atlantic City by Jennifer Vaden Barth and pageant organizations from Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Georgia asks a judge to void the actions of Chairwoman Gretchen Carlson and CEO Regina Hopper. It also seeks restoration of the situation that existed before the two assumed control of the Miss America Organization. The organization called the lawsuit meritless, and part of ``a year-long orchestrated smear campaign.'' Numerous state organizations have been battling pageant leadership, citing dissatisfaction with the way the group is being run and with how a decision to eliminate the swimsuit competition from this year's pageant was reached. The Miss America Organization called the lawsuit a baseless move by ``disgruntled and conflicted former directors who have little understanding of nonprofit governance.'' The litigation comes amid an ongoing struggle by state-level organizations to replace the pageant's top leaders. It begins by saying Carlson and Hopper ``have orchestrated an illegal and bad-faith takeover'' of the Miss America Organization. The parent group has terminated or declined to renew the licenses of several state organizations and is shopping around for a potential new home elsewhere in the country after spending most of its nearly 100 years in Atlantic City. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ae12dd25ea32a89e0762001a9eaaabd5
