A former "America's Next Top Model" contestant is suing Tyra Banks for denying her the show's grand prize because she used to work as an escort, E! News reported.
According to court documents obtained by E!, Angelea Preston has filed a breach of contract suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, against Tyra, who serves as the executive producer of the show, and CW Network.
The lawsuit stated that Preston is asking for at least $3 million in damages for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
The "ANTM" contestant alleges that she was the one who won the title of "America's Next Top Model" during the seventeenth season of the reality model search competition in 2011.
It further stated that as the winner of the show, she should have received the grand prize, which included a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl and a spread in Vogue Italia. But once it was discovered she had worked as an escort, Preston was disqualified and Lisa D'Amato was named the winner.
According to Preston, she was wrongly disqualified because her former job didn't break any of the show's rules, since it occurred before her appearance on the hit reality competition series.
Before being part of cycle 17, the "All Star Season" made up of former contestants, Preston has joined the show as a part of ANTM's cycle 14.
In addition to the breach of contact filed, she claimed that the contestants of the show were subjected to a bad working environment, and that CW has failed to provide meal and rest breaks during several filming days for contestants.
In response, CW has issued a statement to The Wrap, saying, "As noted during the broadcast of the 'America's Next Top Model' finale in 2011, information about Angelea was learned after production wrapped on that cycle that led to her disqualification from the competition. We are confident that her lawsuit has no merit."
However, during an interview with TMZ in September, Preston said even before cycle 17 started, she already told producers, confidentially, that she had been an escort for about a year.
Preston said that after the season finale was taped and she was declared the winner, the casting director called and started grilling her about the whole escort business.
Preston admitted that she worked as an escort but not a prostitute, but they still insisted that it was a violation of contract and that she could not be the winner.
