A woman has sued a Spanish-language radio station in Chicago, claiming it refused to give her the Corvette she won in a 2005 contest because she is undocumented.
Maribel Nava Alvarez, 22, said she was never told she needed to be a U.S. citizen or legal resident to win the car in a raffle sponsored by WLEY-FM.
Alvarez also claims in the lawsuit that an attorney for the station’s parent company, Spanish Broadcasting System, threatened to turn her in to U.S. immigration officials if she tried to pursue the issue in court.
Alvarez, who said she has left the Chicago area out of fear that she would be deported, is suing for breach of contract and emotional distress.
In a news release, the radio station said the law requires it to get a valid Social Security number or tax identification number from anyone who wins prizes worth more than $500.