MISS AMERICAN TEEN SCHOLARSHIP PAGEANT, INC.

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PRESS RELEASE

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                               Contact:

 October, 2018                                                                                                          Betty Davis, Executive Director

                                                                                                                                      

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Statement regarding Charlotte Gerry, Jireh Gerry, Stay Gorgeous Girls and former Florida Directorship

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Miami, Florida:   In response to numerous inquiries, the Miss American Teen and Collegiate Pageant (R), MATC, through it's parent company, Miss American Teen Scholarship Pageant, Inc., would like to address questions regarding Dr. Charlotte Gerry of Jacksonville, Florida and her claims of ownership of our pageant.

 

MATC has retained legal counsel to combat activities which we believe to be fraudulent being perpetrated by Charlotte Gerry and her daughters Jireh Gerry and Katia Gerry.  Our position is that through their non-profit, Stay Gorgeous Girls (note 1), the Gerrys have perpetrated a scheme to defraud our organization and are currently misleading the public in an impersonation scheme for financial gain.  We intend to enforce a non-compete agreement and seek both compensatory and punitive damages against the Gerrys for trademark infringement. Based on applicable case law, including Organizacion Miss Latina, Inc. v. Ramirez Urquidi, et al U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, whereby a former state director was held liable for impersonating a national pageant, misappropriating their logos and conducting an intentional scheme to confuse the public, we believe MATC will prevail in Court.

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One of the claims made by Charlotte Gerry is that she was a "Co-Founder" and/or an "Equity Partner" of our pageant production company. This claim is provably false. Dr. Gerry agreed to the terms of our State Affiliate Agreement when she accepted the position of State Director for Florida as an Independent Contractor on June 15, 2018 [See Proof of Status Exhibits]. She paid an affiliate fee of $350 for the rights to use our name, logos and organizational resources to produce a state pageant.  It is inconceivable that anyone would pay to obtain rights they allegedly own.  Her legal relationship with our company was memorialized in the Invoice she paid that referred directly to the Affiliate Agreement for terms.  She re-affirmed the affiliate agreement personally in writing on June 15, 2018 at 7:16 PM (EST).  Any statements of "ownership" of the Miss American Teen and Collegiate Pageant (R), the organization she represented for three months, is completely false.   

 

On September 27, 2018, in an apparent attempt to mislead the public, Charlotte Gerry, Jireh Gerry and Katia Gerry created an impostor corporation in Florida using our registered trademark name and began impersonating our national pageant. Unfortunately, the Gerrys have absolutely no experience producing a pageant and Dr. Charlotte Gerry's background investigation has revealed serious issues that should cause concern to anyone doing business with her. [See our public announcement below] 

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It is very unlikely that Dr. Gerry and her daughters will deliver any pageants, even if MATC were not enforcing the non-compete agreement.  Therefore, as a consolation for cancelling the Florida State Pageant, MATC will accept applications from qualified Florida residents who signed up (or inquired) on our website, including during her directorship.  We will offer all Florida residents a position in the National Pageant as a Regional titleholder with the  promotional pricing of our "Tag-a-Queen" contest winners ($460).  We cannot, however, provide any credits for monies paid to Dr. Gerry as she alone received and is responsible for, those funds.

 

We hope that this opportunity provides girls who planned to compete at the state pageant a better alternative with a proven organization having an established track record. Despite the challenges of dealing with this negativity and the related legal issues, we are excited with anticipation and planning for the National Pageant. We are also enjoying meeting all of the new delegates and their families, ordering their sashes and helping them with their platforms, as well as helping them prepare for Nationals.  Our goal remains to deliver a first-class pageant which provides the girls a fun experience, a bond of sisterhood and opportunities to pursue their professional and philanthropic goals.

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Note 1-  Although allegedly formed in 2013 by Jireh Gerry, Stay Gorgeous Girls has never sought or attained non-profit status from the IRS, nor has it ever sought legal organization by incorporation or fictitious name.  Between 2013 and late 2016, the organization operated "off the books" until the formation of a Florida corporation named, "Shoes for Africa and More, Inc." was filed in Florida. According to the Stay Gorgeous Girls website, SGG is a "doing business as" entity of "Shoes" despite never having made a legal Fictitious Name filing.