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Hole-in-one leads to Orange County lawsuit over $90K Mercedes-Benz prize

Lawsuit claims golfer Linda Chen was denied for being a former professional golfer

Mercedes-Benz advertisement shown as exhibit in lawsuit (Orange County)

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A hole-in-one at a country club earlier this year has sparked a lawsuit after the Mercedes-Benz prize was reportedly withheld, according to court documents filed in Orange County on Wednesday.

The lawsuit says that a golf tournament fundraiser was put together by Timothy Galvin and his company, Tournament Golf Events, to benefit Nova Southeastern University Orlando.

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The fundraiser — dubbed “Fins on the Fairway” — was held in May at the Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere, with a “Mercedes E Class $90,000″ being advertised at the 11th hole as the prize for hitting a hole-in-one, the lawsuit claims.

According to the lawsuit, Linda Chen participated in the fundraiser, successfully scoring the hole-in-one at the 11th hole. However, when she tried to claim the prize after the tournament, Galvin “refused to engage in a discussion regarding the claim,” the lawsuit explains.

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Court documents state that Galvin instead told Chen she would never be able to claim the Mercedes-Benz prize, leaving the property without giving Chen the information needed to submit her claim.

Regardless, Chen submitted her claim via email the next day, though Galvin responded that the claim was denied because she had been a professional golfer more than 15 years ago, court records show.

The lawsuit includes a response by attorneys, explaining that Chen competed professionally from 1994-1996 but later regained her amateur status with the United States Golf Association. In an email, attorneys also said that the contract for the tournament provided that “Amateur Golfers Only” were eligible for the prize.

As a result, Chen is now seeking to recover damages from the alleged breach of contract, including either the vehicle or $90,000, which was the car’s advertised value.

The full lawsuit has been attached and can be read in the media viewer below:

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