Christina Silva is Suing Mad

"I'm not racist, my best friend is Mexican!" So is the sentiment, though not the exact phrasing, of pageant director Keith Lewis after hearing allegations of former Miss California. Lewis said, "I've had three winners since I've been a director.  Two have been African American, two of four in the history of the state pageant. And the current Miss California USA is 25 percent Filipino.  I think my record speaks for itself."  Though Christina Silva, a Hispanic, was stripped of the title a mere three days after receiving it, she's not unreasonable…as long as you pay her $500K.  Overstretching a bit?

Perhaps.  But you can't put a price on pain.  Dotspotter star drift82 has more…

The Miss USA Pageant airs tonight. And we know one person who won’t be watching it for reasons other than Heather Mills being a judge.

TMZ reports that Christina Silva - the dethroned Miss California - has filed a lawsuit against the pageant, seeking $500,000 in damages for “public humiliation, mental anguish and distress, lost opportunities, lost prizes and lost monies.”

For those who have somehow forgotten: Silva was crowned Miss California on November 25, 2007. But three days later, officials blamed human error for a mistake and actually placed the crown on the head of Raquel Beezley instead.

Silva, who is of Ecuadoran and Mexican descent, claims the pageant director never liked her and was looking for an “‘all-American girl’ to win, and not looking to crown another person of color.”

Beezley, meanwhile, will be competing in Miss USA tonight. She’ll be hoping to follow in the evening gown of last year’s winner, Rachel Smith.

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Comments (2)

1

beauty pageants are so irrelevant these days.

126

ElectroMarble 4/12/08

2

I don't understand the whole "mistake" thing

384

Abracadavid 4/12/08