Stan Rivas wanted the fully loaded 2004 BMW Roadster.
He wanted it so much, he bought ticket after ticket for a charity raffle that, he says, offered ownership of the sleek sports car as the grand prize.
It turned out he had the winning stub.
But when he tried to collect the keys, Rivas claims he was offered a free two-year lease.
Now he's suing the Chicago nonprofit group that sponsored the raffle, the Tsunami Foundation, demanding the vehicle.
The group's executive director, Hillary Duff, and president, Anthony DeMasi, did not return calls.
But according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, Rivas was led to believe the main prize for the group's fund-raiser was ownership of the $40,000 convertible.
The foundation, the lawsuit says, promoted the contest that way on its Web site and in posters and brochures leading up to the September 2003 drawing.
Rivas said he purchased "several" of the $20 tickets for a chance at the car and that his ticket -- number 1340 -- was drawn as the winner. When he was offered the lease, he refused to sign the paperwork. The group's Web site now has no mention of the raffle or a prize.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-charity11.html
He wanted it so much, he bought ticket after ticket for a charity raffle that, he says, offered ownership of the sleek sports car as the grand prize.
It turned out he had the winning stub.
But when he tried to collect the keys, Rivas claims he was offered a free two-year lease.
Now he's suing the Chicago nonprofit group that sponsored the raffle, the Tsunami Foundation, demanding the vehicle.
The group's executive director, Hillary Duff, and president, Anthony DeMasi, did not return calls.
But according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, Rivas was led to believe the main prize for the group's fund-raiser was ownership of the $40,000 convertible.
The foundation, the lawsuit says, promoted the contest that way on its Web site and in posters and brochures leading up to the September 2003 drawing.
Rivas said he purchased "several" of the $20 tickets for a chance at the car and that his ticket -- number 1340 -- was drawn as the winner. When he was offered the lease, he refused to sign the paperwork. The group's Web site now has no mention of the raffle or a prize.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-charity11.html