lottery disputes

The weirdest lottery disputes ever

Do you have a brother or sister? If so then you surely remember your parents asking you to share the toys fairly. Deep in our hearts we were against that but we were tough that was for our own good. Still, it is a totally different thing when it goes about a huge lottery winning. Please find below several craziest disputes between the lottery syndicate winners.

$2.5 mln illness allowance

In 2011 Edward Hairstone took a 3 months seek leave because of a backache. Earlier he agreed with his friends to set up a lottery syndicate to buy USA Mega Millions tickets jointly every month. He had not been making any money contributions over those 3 months (even though that was just 5 bucks a month). Eventually, the syndicate won a huge prize and Edward decided to get “his share” through the court trial.

He though that would be unfair to get nothing as he had been the syndicate member for 8 years already. His colleagues argued that he was absent and did not pay the syndicate members fees as if forgetting about the syndicate agreement clause stipulating the situation: the syndicate should cover fees for the members absent due to illness or other relevant reasons. The court decided to “freeze” the winning until the decision was ruled.

7 million dollars

A woman sued her lottery syndicate (consisting of another 7 people) claiming herself $7 mln even though the winning totaled $16 mln.

The 72 years old Janet French said she has been then for 7 years already the member of the syndicate she had set up with her colleagues. She thought that was a reasonable grounding for claiming the larger share of the won sum. She also said that their agreement covered cases when the members for any reasons (financial or other ones) could not pay their $1 participation fee. That was the case with Janet, who as she claimed at court, warned the colleges about her absence and desire to take part in that draw. They promised to pay up her $1 fee.

The court ruled to give $9,254,720 to the syndicate and to freeze the remaining sum until making a decision.

Summing up

We do not know for sure the outcome of the stories and hope everyone got the fair share of the winning. Just imagine yourself on the one hand playing in the syndicate for years and once failing to pay $1 fee when the syndicate wins and on the other hand having to deal with a greedy member trying to get his hook into the shared jackpot. It’s really unfair, isn't it? We wish you never get in such situations and win it big!