Greg Harbaugh/Miss Universe OrganizationA legal victory is a beautiful thing in the wake of an ugly pageant scandal.
A judge has awarded Donald Trump's Miss Universe Organization $5 million in damages against ex-Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin over allegations she made this past summer that the Miss USA pageant was rigged.
Per the New York Post, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Theodore H. Katz ruled that the brunette beauty had defamed the organization with her statements, which he classified as "false" and which "showed a reckless disregard."
He also concluded that "the method in which the Miss USA Pageant is judged...precludes any reasonable possibility that the judging was rigged."
"We are pleased that the integrity of the Miss USA Pageant remains intact," Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, said in a statement. "We were always confident in what the outcome would be as the truth was on our side."
Monnin, meanwhile appears to be keeping a positive attitude. On Tuesday, she took to Facebook and wrote: "I'm so thankful for LIFE and all of the beauty that it holds. Tough times will come, but it's how we handle each difficulty that will determine the path ahead."
In June, Monnin incited a firestorm of controversy by claiming that the Miss USA pageant was rigged after she spoke with another contestant who had allegedly seen the list of the pageant's finalists.
Monnin, who eventually resigned as Miss Pennsylvania, also called the pageant "fraudulent, lacking in morals, inconsistent and in many ways trashy."
Trump eventually fired back, suing Monnin for what he deemed was an "utterly baseless claim."
The legal victory comes on the eve of Trump's highly touted Miss Universe Pageant on Wednesday.