It's the type of suit you aren't expecting to see a bathing beauty in.
Tamara Jemuovic, a gorgeous blond Torontonian whose parents moved to Canada from Serbia, is suing the Miss World Canada Pageant and its president, Ike Lalji, claiming she never received money and prizes she earned as first runner-up and people's-choice winner in 2013.
The case is scheduled for Friday in Richmond, where the annual contest is held at the River Rock.
Lalji is countersuing, and each is asking for $25,000 from the other.
She also wants her crown; he wants his sash back.
The suit claims Jemuovic was deprived of her crown, beauty and spa treatments, fitness memberships, $750 in sponsorship money and cheques worth $1,500 that were written in lieu of a pair of luxury getaways to Las Vegas.
She also lost a personalized email address and Facebook page, losing thousands of "likes" and "the reputation from her fans all over the world," along with important emails, according to the document.
"Right now, this has taken up a lot of time since November," said the 21-year-old Jemuovic. "I have no lawyer, so I'm fighting this on my own."
Jemuovic graduated from the University of Toronto in November, majoring in equality studies - human rights, environmental injustice and diversity.
She said she has personally raised $5,000 for the Variety Club, the children's charity associated with Miss World.
And Beauty with a Purpose isn't just a Miss World slogan, but a charity that raises money for humanitarian missions worldwide.
After other Miss World contestants came forward on Jemuovic's Facebook page alleging they also had money and prizes withheld, she decided to act on those principles of rights and purpose, she said. "The reason I'm standing up, the reason I'm here in Vancouver, is to show the other pageant girls we are humanitarian girls, we are philanthropists, we don't stand for injustice."
The others, Jemuovic said, were too busy to come forward or were still hopeful they'd get money and prizes they felt they were owed.
"A lot of them are in school and they don't live in B.C., so it's very difficult to go through with legal proceedings in a different province," she said. "So I decided to do it and finally be the person to break through this myself, get it going."
In its reply to Jemuovic's suit, the defence denies all of her claims.
They argue she signed a deal not do any other pageants until after May 2014 and to make at least six appearances to promote the program during her reign.
But Jemuovic accepted the Canada Perfect Miss title while still under contract to Miss World, they claim, and failed to make those appearances. The defence also claims that loss of fundraising for the Variety Club and shortcomings in attracting sponsors put them out more than $100,000.
"The intention is that if you're successful in a position, that you would honour that and that would be your focus for the year," defence lawyer Dean Davison said, speaking on Lalji's behalf. "Miss World Canada didn't know that she had also done and entered into other contests, so we say that is clearly a breach of the agreement."
Davison said Lalji tried to resolve the dispute amicably, but Jemuovic has been "aggressive" throughout.
Jemuovic countered by saying the Canada's Perfect Miss 2014 she entered was after her Miss World commitment had expired.
As to failing to make money-raising appearances in support of Miss World, she said the only one held in Toronto was during a weekend in which she was at a church youth conference. Her priest has provided a letter which will confirm this, she said.
