News > 2007 > Brazilian Scandal: Miss Brazil reappears and wins lawsuit competition

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Miss Brazil for 2002, who recently was the subject of an international missing person hunt, has been awarded the equivalent of thousands of dollars in a lawsuit she filed against pageant organizers Gaeta (Miss Brazil Universe).

Taiza Thomsen initially took second place in the pageant and represented Brazil at Miss World 2002 (by then Gaeta sent Miss Brazil's 1st runner-up to Miss World) but, toward the end of the year, was declared the winner (Miss Brazil) after Joseane Oliveira was stripped of the title because it was revealed she was married. Thomsen claimed judges knew about the marriage all along and sued for damages caused by the delay in her crowning.

The former beauty queen was in headlines recently after her parents reported her missing on January 25, sparking fears she had been kidnapped or fallen victim to a human trafficking ring. Earlier this month she contacted Brazilian police from London to say she was well and did not want to be bothered.

In 2004, Thomsen filed a petition at a court in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, demanding 1 million reals (US$474,000, euro363,999) in moral and material damages from pageant organizers. On Monday, the court decided to award the former Miss Brazil 170,000 reals (US$80,600, euro61,900) "She claimed that the delay in receiving her crown caused her to lose out on a series of benefits usually awarded to Miss Brazil," said a court spokeswoman who declined to be identified in accordance with department policy.

Other than a car, she did not detail what benefits Thomsen was entitled to. Thomsen's attorneys could not be located for comment, but Henrique Pereira, the lawyer representing Gaeta said he would appeal the court's decision "because we can prove that we didn't act in bad faith when granting the crown to Oliveira."

The former beauty queen is on the cover of ISTO É weekly magazine, in an article about all the mysteries surrounding her life today. What is she doing in London? Why there's no recent pictures of Taiza? What is doing to survive in London?

This Brazilian soap opera seems to be far from a happy ending...

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