Carrie Prejean has filed a lawsuit against Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler, co-directors of the Miss California USA pageant organization prior to and during her short-lived reign. Prejean opted to sue the pair for revealing that the pageant organization paid for her breast implants. She also claims they engaged in religious discrimination, libel and slander.
Moakler stepped down as co-director in May after pageant owner Donald Trump sided with Prejean and allowed her to remain Miss California USA. As it turned out, Miss California’s reprieve only lasted a month before Lewis mounted enough evidence to convince Trump to send her down the road.
Prejean, first runner-up to Miss USA 2009, is believed to have lost the national crown with her answer to the final question posed by judge Perez Hilton. When asked about her stance on same sex marriage, she said that she believed that marriage was between a man and a woman.
Court documents filed in Los Angeles reveal that the co-directors instructed her to stop mentioning God, and fabricated that she had missed several scheduled appearances, which led to her dismissal in June.
Prejean’s lawyer Chuck LiMandri said that his client is also suing publicist Roger Neal, who handles press for Miss California USA. Court documents indicate that he released inaccurate and derogatory information to the press.
According to Prejean’s attorney, she made her decision to file a claim only after the Miss California USA pageant organization failed to provide any proof that Prejean violated contract agreements. In fact, there is reportedly not a shred of evidence that Carrie had missed a single event.
The lawsuit does not name Donald Trump, owner of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageant organizations.