In the wake of her long-awaited dismissal last week, disgraced, former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean has threatened to sue pageant officials for defamation.

Well, the pageant's lawyer fired off a letter to Carrie's lawyer, threatening to sue the 22-year-old lightning rod for what he calls "churlish insolent misbehavior."

The letter details alleged misdeeds which led to Carrie Prejean getting fired.

Those incidents include the facts that:

* Carrie lied in saying publicly that she did not ink a book deal.
* Carrie wrongfully turned down 39 pageant appearances since May 12.
* Carrie Prejean defamed pageant honcho Keith Lewis when she said he "pressured her to appear in Playboy." Lewis says he merely passed on the offer to Prejean, and never advocated the beauty queen take it.

* The letter also states that the self-serving moron was canned last week because of "intolerable misbehavior," citing "hostile communications from Carrie."
* The letter threatens this: "If Carrie Prejean wants to assert in public that she was courteous, cooperative or professional in her conduct as Miss California USA, the history of her churlish insolent misbehavior can be presented."

The lawyer demands that Carrie stop making defamatory remarks and recant the earlier ones she already made ... or else. Stay tuned there.

All we have to say is yay, Tami Farrell!