Brittany Boltinhouse, the former Miss North Carolina USA 2026, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Miss USA organization and state pageant officials, accusing them of destroying her reputation by publicly associating her removal with racism, homophobia and transphobia.
Boltinhouse filed the lawsuit Sunday, Aug. 23, in Duplin County Superior Court in North Carolina, according to the complaint obtained by People. The defendants include Miss USA chairman and CEO Thom Brodeur, JKN Universe LLC and A Blaize Productions, which operates the North Carolina competition.