The former beauty queen, who defamed the Miss USA pageant and its Miss Universe organization with her claims, lost in court.
- Dec 19, 2012
AceShowbiz - Donald Trump gained victory on the eve of Miss Universe pageant. His Miss Universe Organization won against former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin who claimed in June that Miss USA pageant is not only rigged but also "fraudulent, lacking in morals, inconsistent and in many ways trashy."
U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Theodore H. Katz, acting as an arbitrator, ruled on Tuesday, December 18 that Monnin was making false claims that defame the organization. The judge stated that "the method in which the Miss USA Pageant is judged...precludes any reasonable possibility that the judging was rigged." Katz awarded the organization $5 million in damages.
"We cannot allow a disgruntled contestant to make false and reckless statements which are damaging to the many people who have devoted their hearts and souls to the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageant systems," Trump said in a statement. "While I feel very badly for Sheena, she did the wrong thing. She was really nasty, and we had no choice. It is an expensive lesson for her."
Monnin believed that the beauty contest was already pre-arranged after saying that she spoke with another contestant who had allegedly seen the list of the pageant's finalists. Trump and the organization fired back by launching a lawsuit against her, saying she was making "utterly baseless claim."
