Miss San Antonio Goes to Court to Keep Crown

Beauty Queen Domonique Ramirez, 17, Says She Was Unfairly Dethroned

BY RUSSELL GOLDMAN

A teenage Texas beauty queen is in court to keep her crown following accusations that the recently coronated Miss San Antonio violated her contract and gained too much weight.

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A Bexar County judge Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order against the pageant's promoters that for now keeps the organization from formally strippingDomonique Ramirez, 17, of her title.

Ramirez took the Miss Bexar County Organization to court Tuesday, claiming in a lawsuit that she had been unfairly stripped of her title.

Ramirez's parents received an email on Jan. 25 saying the teenager had been replaced by the April 2010 pageant's runner-up.

Miss San Antonio contestants can compete in the annual Miss Texas Pageant.

The board says she violated the terms of her contract, did not attend required events, showed up late to appearances and gained weight.

"As a Miss San Antonio reigning queen, she has to live up to our rules and regulations and the standards of our contract," said Linda Woods, the pageant board's spokeswoman.

Woods accused Ramirez of skipping pageant-sanctioned events to attend unauthorized paid appearances.

In the media, Woods has suggested one of the reasons Ramirez lost her title was because she had gained weight.

"She was doing a photo shoot and asked to wear her wardrobe from the competition, but it did not fit her. I told her we need to get you on an exercise program. We need to get ready to compete for Miss Texas, just like any elite athlete," Woods told ABCNews.com.

Ramirez's lawyer, Luis Vera of the League of United Latin American Citizens, called the pageant's reasons for axing the teenager "lies."

"It's just total lies. They make things up one after another," Vera said.

The lawyer said the board violated the terms of its contract and is punishing Ramirez for their errors.

"The contract says she will be chaperoned and driven to every appearance and that her parents are not allowed to attend," he said. "Then they would call her and say she needs to get to events on her own. At the time she just turned 16, how is she supposed to get there without her parents?"

The pageant has declared the runner-up Ashley Dixon the new Miss San Antonio.

In the judge's temporary restraining order, issued Tuesday, however, the board is banned from naming a new winner until the case is finally adjudicated.

The parties are expected again in court on Feb. 16

@abcnews