SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A 17-year-old Texas beauty queen allegedly told to "get off the tacos" after gaining weight has had her crown returned by a judge after a jury ruled that she was wrongly stripped of her title.
Domonique Ramirez won her lawsuit against the Miss San Antonio pageant, Luis Vera Jr., her attorney, told The Associated Press
"She won 100 percent," Vera said.
Judge Barbara Nellermoe then restored Ramirez's crown, clearing the way for her to compete for Miss Texas and Miss America, according Court Clerk Grace Montalvo. After deliberating 11.5 hours over two days in the weeklong trial, the Bexar County jury of five men and seven women found that pageant officials, not Ramirez, breached the contract.
"It's a sad day for us. We think the judge and jury made a huge mistake," pageant director Linda Woods said. "It's an injustice for the city of San Antonio, it allows young kids to breach contracts and violate authority without any consequences ... It sends the wrong message."
Consequently, Woods said she would not personally promote or support Ramirez in her bid for Miss Texas.
"I'm sorry, there's no way I would represent her as talent. She's trouble," Woods said.
The size-2 teenager was fired in January over allegations of weight gain and bad behavior. Pageant officials testified that Ramirez showed up to a bikini photo shoot overweight and made pictures "unusable."
But pageant officials claimed weight wasn't the issue. Instead, they said the 5-foot-8, 129-pound teenager was unreliable, chronically showing up late for events such as grocery store openings, and violated her contract in ways ranging from not writing thank-you notes to blowing off a physical fitness program and vocal lessons. It all added up to insubordination and breach of contract, they said.
Ramirez denied gaining weight or being late.
After the verdict, pageant attorney Ben Wallis told the San Antonio Express-News that the verdict would cause confusion and that the Miss Texas pageant could refuse to invite Ramirez. He declined to say if the pageant would appeal, only saying that the pageant has "contingency plans."
Jury foreman Jesse Sanchez told the Express-News that the verdict was "a hard decision" and that jurors found interest in the case "overwhelming." He declined to say why damages and fees weren't awarded to Ramirez.
There was no immediate word on what would become of Ashley Dixon. Ramirez's runner-up was crowned Miss San Antonio in a courtroom last month after a judge refused Ramirez's efforts to obtain a temporary injunction stopping the pageant from naming a new winner.
Judge Nellermoe suggested that community donors provide college scholarships for both Ramirez and Dixon, who have each had their crowns taken away in this dispute.
Immediately after the trial, Ramirez went to Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church to place the crown on its altar as a gift to the patroness.
"She's the queen of all queens, the keeper of all crowns. I wanted to give my crown to her," Ramirez said, adding that she could buy a replacement crown for the upcoming Fiesta and Miss Texas appearances that go with the title. "I just wanted to send a message I'm very grateful and she has answered my prayers."
Asked if she had any advice to other young women, Ramirez cautioned them to always carefully read any contract they sign and, she added jokingly: "Don't go eating tacos in the morning."
