Former Miss North Carolina USA Brittany Boltinhouse has filed a lawsuit against the Miss USA pageant organization and its North Carolina license holder, A Blaize Productions, alleging they intentionally destroyed her reputation after revoking her title. Boltinhouse, 27, was crowned in June but had her title and eligibility for the national Miss USA pageant removed in August following the resurfacing of social media posts from 2017 and 2019 where she used the N-word.
The lawsuit, filed on Sunday, contends that the organization "maliciously coordinating to publish a false public narrative portraying Brittany Boltinhouse as a racist, homophobe, transphobe and intolerable bigot to be shunned from public life." Boltinhouse's legal team stated that the posts, which used the term "n***a," were made nearly a decade ago and generated no public outcry until after she won her state title.
In the lawsuit, her lawyers confirmed Boltinhouse posted the slang term "n***a" five times in 2017 and once in 2019. They assert that these posts were made in a "colloquial" manner and were not intended to convey racism, homophobia, transphobia, or bigotry. The suit claims that the organization "conspired to use the innocuous posts" to "falsely smear Brittany" and harm her career and businesses.
Political and Religious Beliefs
Beyond the N-word controversy, the lawsuit also addresses Boltinhouse's attendance at a Donald Trump rally on January 6, 2021, and her public objection to the 2024 Transgender Day of Visibility. Boltinhouse, who identifies as a "proud conservative" and "God-fearing" woman, believes her title was revoked due to her political and religious stances rather than the resurfaced posts.
She previously told the Daily Mail that she believes her crown was not taken away because she used the racial slur, but rather because of her "political and religious stance."
During recorded phone conversations included in the court documents, co-owners of A Blaize Productions, Nic and Ariana Blaize, discussed the potential "PR fallout" of not revoking Boltinhouse's title. Ariana Blaize is quoted as saying, "I just don't think we would be able to survive it. I think that [not revoking your title would] probably cost us our franchise."
While Nic Blaize stated that the removal was not due to her political stance, she emphasized that her statements "don't align with the organization." She added, "It's just that saying those things don't align with the organization."
Lawsuit Claims and Damages
Boltinhouse is not seeking reinstatement of her title but is asking for compensatory damages from the jury for injuries including damage to her reputation, humiliation, emotional distress, and loss of professional and economic opportunities. The lawsuit states these damages exceed $25,000.
In response, A Blaize Productions stated that Boltinhouse was not removed due to her political or religious beliefs, but because of "conduct and material that the organization determined was inconsistent with the standards and responsibilities associated with serving as Miss North Carolina USA." The organization indicated that Boltinhouse was informed of the specific factors leading to the decision and that their communications distinguished her beliefs from the conduct that raised concerns.
The organization also stated that it would be inappropriate to litigate the contents of private communications through the media, as they have received correspondence from Boltinhouse's legal counsel. They concluded by discouraging any mistreatment of Boltinhouse, stating, "Our organizational decision should never be interpreted as an invitation for anyone to mistreat her."