Centex Offers Homes to Both ''Winners'' in Disputed Giveaway Contest

DENVER, CO -- The Denver division of Centex Homes announced that it has offered to give a house to Veronica Baca, one of the original finalists in a disputed home give-away contest in Denver. In addition, the Company has offered to provide furnishings for the home and payment for all reasonable legal fees that Mrs. Baca has incurred.

According to news reports, Baca and another finalist both successfully opened a symbolic door using keys provided as part of the contest--when only one should have worked. Baca opened her door, complete with fireworks, during a Denver Broncos game at midfield. Later it was learned another entrant elsewhere opened a door, too.

The Centex House Party, a home give-away promotion, generated more than 250,000 entries from the greater Denver area over the summer. Officials with the Company did not learn that the initial results of the finale were disputed until two days later. The established rules of the contest required a second random drawing to resolve the dispute and determine the ultimate winner of the contest home in Brighton, near Denver. Mrs. Baca did not win the second drawing.

"It was important to follow the letter of the rules for a fair contest. Now we're going to honor the spirit of the contest and do what's right for Mrs. Baca and her family," Mr. Anner says.

"We're working directly with Mrs. Baca and her family. We expect to sort out the details and wrap this up very quickly," says Bill Anner, division president for Centex Homes in Denver.

"We never intended for the contest to end this way. We understand the thrill and expectation the contest created for Mrs. Baca, and we understand the disappointment Mrs. Baca and her family have endured. We regret it's taken this long to work through the process, but now we're working directly with Mrs. Baca and her family to put them in a new home as quickly as possible," Mr. Anner says.

"No one expected this kind of result, but we would rather have two happy winners in this situation," says Doug Barnes, executive vice president of Centex Homes' northwest region, which includes Denver.