14 DAY TRIAL // The Miss Universe Organization and Miss USA, both owned by Donald Trump, are now at the center of a new controversy, after a 21-year-old model from North California has filed a lawsuit to claim that the official recruiter for Miss California USA tried to get her to perform certain acts on him in exchange of modeling gigs.
Ashleigh tells Jezebel that the incident occurred in November last year and that she’s been trying to get someone to “fix” the situation but no one’s paying attention to her: not the police, because no actual crime has been committed, and certainly not MUO, which sent her an apology over e-mail and then forgot about the whole thing.
Basically, this Miss Universe hopeful is saying that the entire pageant is nothing but a huge scheme meant to get men in positions of power to bed and be pleased by young girls who are desperate enough as to do anything – literally anything – for a modeling gig or their shot at the much coveted crown.
Miss California USA recruiter Domingo Rodriguez is one of these men and, after contacting Ashleigh after she applied for the pageant, he deceived her into thinking she was “this close” to getting the cover of a Miami magazine.
He asked her to meet in a Starbucks parking lot to talk over the details of the contract but, when he drove up, he didn’t have any papers with him. That’s because, the model explains, he wanted her to perform certain acts on him, assuring her that this is the only possible “fast-track” to fame in the industry.
He also informed her that only by doing the same with the magazine people and everyone else, she would be guaranteed a shot at a successful modeling career.
Ashleigh went to the police right after this, but was told that, since no crime had actually been committed, the situation was out of their hands. She also contacted MUO and Miss USA and got a very polite and completely useless reply.
She is now asking for at least $200,000 (€147,145) in damages in her lawsuit. Jezebel reports that Rodriguez is no longer with the talent agency doing the recruiting for Miss USA and Miss World, but he’s still claiming his image is being smeared for nothing because he didn’t do anything wrong.
“She told me she would do whatever it takes, and now she's throwing my help in her face. This is character assassination and it's a shame because I've helped a lot of people in the past. When a young lady says she wants to find out opportunities, I'll pass the word out,” he says. He admits he told Ashleigh that some girls go up the modeling ladder by practically selling their bodies, but claims he never specifically asked her to do that.
Miss USA / MUO is yet to comment on the allegations.