Miss America heads to court

AMANDA AUBLE Staff Writer Jan 25, 2019 

Atlantic City Superior Court Judge Michael Blee is expected to rule on several issues detailed in a lawsuit filed by a former MAO board member and four state organizations, according to court officials.

A former board member of the Miss America Organization and four Miss America pageant state organization licensees are requesting a temporary restraining order and preliminary court injunction to stop MAO Chairwoman Gretchen Carlson and Hopper from further damaging the state organizations operations, according to a lawsuit

The lawsuit claims Chairwoman Gretchen Carlson and President and CEO Regina Hopper orchestrated an “illegal and bad-faith takeover” of the MAO, beginning in January 2018.

Former MAO trustee Jennifer Vaden Barth and West Virginia director Leah Summers along with representatives from the Georgia Miss America Scholarship Fund were in the courtroom Friday morning.

Attorney for the plaintiff Paul Perkins said that they are not fighting for money, but “we are fighting for the survival of an institution.”

Perkins argued that the move to remove MAO trustees after the board’s fourth re-vote on restructure was “retaliation” for challenging new chairwoman Gretchen Carlson.

Defense attorney Timothy Davis argues that the state organizations are contracted and have “no right” to look into the national board.

https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/missamerica/miss-america-heads-to-court/article_f85b9a75-e8c1-50fa-b802-b500598a793b.html