Miss Pennsylvania USA Sheena Monnin competes during the 2012 Miss USA pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on June 3, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)
(USA TODAY) - Donald Trump is making good on his word. He said several days ago that he would sue Miss Pennsylvania USA Shannon Minnon for saying the Miss USA pageant was "fixed," and on Friday, lawyers for the Miss Universe Organization filed an arbitration action seeking monetary damages from her.
The organization, co-owned by Trump, filed the action with over the former Miss Pennsylvania USA's claim that another contestant spotted the list of finalists on a planning sheet hours before the event was held Sunday, lawyer Scott Balber tells Fox News.
A statement from the New York-based Miss Universe Organization said it is seeking remedies including monetary damages for her "ongoing defamatory statements." Balber would not say how much money organizers are seeking.
Monnin gave up her crown Monday, claiming in a Facebook post that the pageant had been rigged. Pageant organizers and Trump immediately denied the allegation and claimed she stepped down because she disagreed with the pageant's decision to allow transgender contestants. On Friday's Today show, she did not back down from her stance, saying she was "prepared to continue to pursue the truth."