Netherlands' 'next top model' Ananda Marchildon wins agency lawsuit

A former model who won the television show "Holland's Next Top Model" has won a lawsuit against the Elite modeling agency after she was dropped for having hips that were supposedly too large.

The Amsterdam District Court has ruled that Ananda Marchildon, now 25, was entitled to the main prize she won in the 2008 production of the show, a contract worth 75,000 euro. Marchildon argued she was dismissed after only 10,000 euro worth of work.

The court said in a written ruling today that Marchildon had a hip size of 92 centimetres (around 36 inches) at the time of her contract.

The ruling says "Elite could therefore not demand she reach a hip size of 90 centimetres" — about 35.4 inches.

It awarded her around 65,000 euro in damages.