Ousted Miss Delaware Wants Title, Miss America

Former Miss Delaware Amanda Longacre returned to NBC's "Today" show Monday to talk about what's next for the former beauty queen.

• Miss Delaware Stripped of Crown, Scholarships Over Age

Just days after she broke down in tears on the show as she described her disappointment over being stripped of her crown because of her age, she returned, assuring America that she wants to serve her term as Miss Delaware and compete in the Miss America Pageant and that she will sue to do so, if necessary.

"I won the title of Miss Delaware, I am Miss Delaware," said Longacre. "This is about the title of Miss Delaware that I rightfully won and I want to serve the people of the state.

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"What we want is to see Amanda compete at Miss America and serve as Miss Delaware," said her Attorney Mark Billion of Wilmington, Delaware. "To our mind that's what's fair and if we have to sue to do it we will."

The statement comes after the Miss America Organization informed Longacre that she could keep $9,000 in scholarship money she was awarded when she won the title.

First runner up Brittany Lewis, 24, was also given $9,000 in scholarship money as well Longacre's crown last Thursday.

Pageant officials last Tuesday told Longacre that she would not be eligible to compete in the Miss America pageant in September because of her age, NBC10 reported. She said she was told that Miss America can't be older than 24 the year she is crowned.

Longacre will turn 25 on October 22, two months after the Miss America pageant. She explained on "Today" on Friday that she submitted all the proper paperwork to prove her age, and local pageant officials took no issue with it at the time she applied for a chance at the Miss Delaware crown.

"It's not fair because I won outright," she said. "And I deserve to represent my state and I want this chance still to go to Miss America."

The Miss America Organization on Thursday posted on Facebook a status wishing Longacre "well on her future endeavors." The post also included a headshot of Lewis that congratulated her on being crowned Miss Delaware 2014.

Longacre's winning photo from June 14 is still on the Miss America Facebook page as of Monday morning.

The Miss America Organization did not respond to a request for an interview at the time story was published.

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