Former Miss North Carolina USA Brittany Boltinhouse has filed a civil defamation and civil conspiracy lawsuit against pageant organizers in Duplin Superior Court. Boltinhouse won the 2026 title on June 28, but her reign ended in early August when the organization stripped her of the crown following the resurfacing of historical social media posts.
Lawsuit Filed in Duplin County Over Revoked Title
The 79-page complaint names several defendants, including JKN Universe LLC, which does business as the Miss USA and Miss Universe organizations; Miss USA CEO Thom Brodeur; A Blaize Productions LLC, which holds the state license for the pageant; Ariana Blaize; and Nic Blaize. Legal representation for Boltinhouse is being handled by Mincey Bell Rhoades LLP.
According to court documents, Boltinhouse does not legally challenge the authority of pageant officials to revoke her title or claim that removing her breached any contract. Instead, the lawsuit targets public statements made after her removal, alleging that the organizations weaponized their platforms to cause excruciating reputational destruction
and falsely labeled her.
Resurfaced Social Media Posts and Alleged Pretext
The controversy began when online critics unearthing past activity brought attention to social media posts from 2017 and 2019, when Boltinhouse was a teenager. The complaint acknowledges that the posts included a racial slur used multiple times, but her legal team argues that no offense was intended or caused at the time.
Boltinhouse contends that the organization used the old posts merely as a pretext. Her attorneys argue that the actual motivation behind her dethroning was political and religious. The complaint alleges that organizers conspired against her because she is a conservative Christian, noting her expressed support for figures such as Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk, alongside her public criticism of Joe Biden’s Transgender Day of Visibility.
Attorney Patrick M. Mincey stated in a release that Boltinhouse was not merely stripped of a title. She was publicly branded with a scarlet letter, accused of some of the most despicable accusations that can be lodged against another person in modern society.
Furthermore, attorney Stephen Bell noted that while defendants hold discretion regarding crown management, they cannot remove a titleholder for political reasons and subsequently defame them publicly to mask their real motives.
Pageant Organization Responses and Legal Demands
Prior to the lawsuit, A Blaize Productions released a statement explaining that the decision to conclude Boltinhouse’s reign followed a thorough review of recently surfaced information that conflicted with the integrity and values of the state organization. Thom Brodeur similarly confirmed the exit, emphasizing that the Miss USA Organization does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their [dignity]
and later maintained that her removal stemmed from conduct violating established standards over an extended period.
The lawsuit additionally claims that pageant officials attempted to manufacture a false confession and drafted a proposed statement admitting responsibility that Boltinhouse never approved or agreed to publish. Recorded conversations cited in the filing indicate that officials weighed potential public backlash when deciding to remove her.
Boltinhouse is seeking compensatory and punitive damages exceeding $25,000, with the final financial amount to be determined by a jury trial. Runner-up Myla Hadley was designated to compete in her place at the national pageant.
