Home : Celebrity Justice, TV : Contestant: The Prize is WRONG, Bitch!

Celebrity Justice
Contestant: The Prize is WRONG, Bitch!

Posted Dec 14th 2007 4:02PM by TMZ Staff

A "Price is Right" contestant claims that she received a damaged vehicle instead of the BRAND NEW CAR!!! she was supposed to get after winning on the show -- and she's pissed!
Click to launch docs!
In court papers filed today in L.A. County Superior Court, Donna Tillman claims she came on down in June 2004 and won a new Pontiac GTO Coupe, worth $33,495. Not bad, right? Here's where it gets screwy. Tillman claims her car got bounced around from Australia to San Francisco to Pasadena before being delivered to her.

A year later, Tillman says she took the car in for some maintenance work, and was told by her local dealership the car had "existing front end and structural frame damage" and that the repairs had been done in a way to "conceal or hide the damage by persons unknown."

Tillman is suing the show, CBS, the car dealership and the transport company, claiming negligence and breach of contract and seeking unspecified damages.

CBS declined comment. The owner of the dealership in question tells TMZ there is "no record in any way, shape or form" of the car being damaged. A number for the car transport company could not be found.

Comments [52]
SHARE |
4ie6

Reader Comments

(Page 2 of 4) Previous 15 Comments | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

16. Whether this is true or false, I'd be pretty pissed myself if I had just paid TT&L (which ain't cheap) for my "new" car that I had just won and found out that it had FRAME damage... FRAME damage, guys. Many insurance companies TOTAL a car for frame damage because they know it will be nothing but trouble after that sort of an accident.

On the other end, if she found out about the damage and waited 2 years to file, there may be something amiss and that will go against her.

Either which way, if it's true, she should get her new car, plain & simple.

Posted at 4:37PM on Dec 14th 2007 by amy

17. 8. She's suing over 3 years later? She probably damaged it herself. You know how those female drivers are.

Posted at 4:24PM on Dec 14th 2007 by John

YES JOHN WE ALL KNOW YOU HATE WOMEN...HIDDEN HATRED IS WHAT THEY CALL IT. EXPLAINS WHY YOU GET OFF ON HUMILIATING THEM. ONLY GAY MEN WHO ARE TOO GUTLESS TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET HATE WOMEN. THAT'S THEIR FAULT? YOU NEED TO BE TAKEN OFF THE ROAD FOR GOOD.

Posted at 4:40PM on Dec 14th 2007 by Scott Harding

18. This isn't Bob Barker's, the Price is Right, or CBS' fault. It's the carriers fault! At first I was wondering why it took this lady so long to report it, but then I read the suit which specifies she took the car in for routine maintenance when the "damage" was noticed. Still it took her another year or so to file the lawsuit. I don't really blame her though--frame damage ruins the car, esp. if she tries to trade it in or sell it to someone else. Hell she could have ended up getting sued herself.

If you read the lawsuit, it tells how the dealer told her the car she received would have only 4 miles on it, but when she received it, there were 28 on the odometer--plus it took the longer to deliver it than it should have. Hell yeah, they wrecked it, drove it somewhere to get it fixed, and then drove it back--that takes time and mileage.

I heard this happened to Tim Allen too. A carrier ruined his bad ass new sports car--but they owned up to it. They didn't like having to foot the bill for it, but they did the right thing. This carrier didn't want to foot this 35,000 dollar bill...in the end, they may end up paying more.

Posted at 4:43PM on Dec 14th 2007 by Don't SUE BOB!!!

19. The cars aren't free - you have to pay 30 percent California tax to claim any of the prizes.
So she would have had to pay over ten thousand dollars just to pick it up.

Posted at 6:52PM on Dec 14th 2007 by I dont watch Price is Right anymore.

20. The cars aren't free - you have to pay 30 percent California tax to claim any of the prizes.
So she would have had to pay over ten thousand dollars just to pick it up.

Posted at 4:42PM on Dec 14th 2007 by I dont watch Price is Right anymore.

21. How greedy are we? We get a car for free and we complain that it is not new enough.....

Posted at 5:21PM on Dec 14th 2007 by jds

22. TMZ is launching a new celeb mash site called http://StarMash.com ...
even has an iPhone version!!!

Posted at 4:43PM on Dec 14th 2007 by TMZStaff

23. wah, wah, wah... i agree, how do we know she didn't do damage herself? or someone driving it w/her permission? or repair shop wasn't trying to scam her... any number of possibilities ... especially given time that went by... she probably just assumes they have tons of $$ and/or won't want the bad press and will just give her another car and/or tons of $$..... put me on the jury - I'll find for bob barker!

Posted at 4:46PM on Dec 14th 2007 by duh

24. Probably an old used up jalopy that one of the "Barker's Beauties" donated to the show....sigh.

Posted at 4:50PM on Dec 14th 2007 by SuperStarSteve

25. Drew will take care of it



NO Problem



Have a great night to all










Posted at 4:53PM on Dec 14th 2007 by FlyontheWallTZM@aol.com

26. Australia? WTF is with that? If they transported the car from down under, who knows who damaged it.
Bad lawyer, suing the wrong parties. Also, her blanket release means exactly that - Barker could have strangled her on camera, and she has no case.
It's not a real GTO anyway.
TOO BAD SO SAD BOO FREAKING HOO.

Posted at 5:40PM on Dec 14th 2007 by L.A. Douchenozzle, Esq.

27. It's not about being "new" it's about being "safe". When people cut corners to make a profit they inevitably put lives at risk. What price do you put on life? Depends if they are people you love you say?

IT SHOULDN'T MATTER. Someone is always loved by someone. Give me an old safe car, over a new car that may potentially endanger someone's life. Especially if you are driving your children in it. Life is priceless.

Posted at 5:50PM on Dec 14th 2007 by SH

28. she won that car fair and square and paid TAX TAG AND TITLE!!!! I would sue 'em all the way!

Posted at 6:25PM on Dec 14th 2007 by cher

29. I am truly amazed that a car dealership would be accused of any type of nefarious behavior - after all, it's so unlike them. "The Price Is Right"? I doubt seriously that they're into that game (no pun...).

If I had to bet a million bucks one way or the other, my money would go toward saying that the dealership delayed delivery of a good car to give them time to scare up a totaled/rebuilt car to lay on this woman, thus pocketing more of that green stuff that they covet so much. It would be the first time that happened, right? Like they wouldn't be capable of such clandestine behavior - i.e., hiding the car's true history. ...No way - not *those* guys! Washing titles and such?! Ha!

And in many instances those Carfax reports are a joke. Check out the skinny on those things plastered throughout the Internet. It amazing how many things they often leave out, and the inaccuracy of things they often put in. DON'T think they're the gospel - they're not. Just because a frame/unibody/ suspension-damaging wreck doesn't show up on that report doesn't mean it didn't occur.

And lastly, say it with me now - it's VIN, not "VIN number."



Posted at 6:41PM on Dec 14th 2007 by DMV

30. "The Price Is Right" does not have any liability over the condition of the car, which is supposed to be available at a nearby car dealer. It's the dealer's responsibility to present a new car to the contestant in pristine condition, not "Price's." All the show does is display a similar car, not the exact item the player is going to win and drive out of the studio.

Posted at 7:13PM on Dec 14th 2007 by Christopher Cook

Previous 15 Comments | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments