Ex-Miss Delaware Amanda Longacre sues to regain her title
| DOVER, Del.
A woman stripped of her聽Miss聽Delaware聽title last month for being too old is suing state pageant officials and the聽Miss聽America organization.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, Amanda Longacre is seeking to be reinstated as聽Miss聽Delaware聽and to be allowed to compete in the聽Miss聽America pageant. She also is seeking $500,000 in damages for herself and $2.5 million for other contestants who she claims were recruited to compete in pageants before being told they were too old.
Officials say聽Miss聽America pageant rules require contestants to be between 17 and 24. Longacre turns 25 on Oct. 22, after this year's national pageant.
The lawsuit alleges that one or more other contestants in the 2014聽Miss聽Delaware聽pageant also were too old to compete under those rules.
"It is a lawsuit without merit and we will defend it vigorously," said Sharon Pearce, president of the聽MissAmerica organization.
State pageant representatives did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
