$162 million winning ticket turned in amid dispute

[soothsayer]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040106/ap_on_re_us/mega_millions_lost_ticket_14

[ProdigalJunkMail]

1. wait wait

I lost it...not her!!! I swear I was in Ohio and bought the ticket that won and then dropped it outside when I figured my odds of winning were so poor. But now that I have won, my odds weren't so bad after all and now I would like my money.

Thanks,
TheProdigal

[joeunderdog]

13. The claimant was NOT the woman who first claimed to buy it!

She said she bought it herself.

Let the games begin.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

16. knew that was coming

I think I will bet $162Mil on the person in possession of the bearer instrument.

TheProdigal

[Braden]

2. too bad

its a bearer bond. no amount of lawyering is going to change that. Too bad the finder couldn't bring themselves to admit who they are and hear the reward offer.

but I am not surprised.

[underpants]

6. Yep too bad

Damn that must suck

[Braden]

7. if she signed it she would have a good case,

but I would be willing to bet someone else's name is already on there.

[Catherine Vincent]

3. I read that story.

So who turned in the ticket? Did someone find it? And if they did, they really should split with the lady that lost it. That's enough money to where it could be done. People shouldn't be greedy.

[northzax]

4. so if I have htis ticket

and Ms. Battle's story is real, which it seems to be (and only one ticket was sold) I approach her, and say roughly: look, this sucks, and we can spend the next ten years in expensive litigation over this, or I can give you ten million dollars right now. she'd clear more, after taxes, than she'd get from a lawsuit in ten years anyway.

Oh, and I'd hire a lawyer for myself, and ensure that she was represented, at my expense if need be, by compentant attorneys for the discussion, not ambulance chasers.

[mouse7]

5. They'll settle for splitting it.

Nobody is going to take a chance of losing all the money in a court settlement.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

8. I might offer her something...

but don't think I would split it...just on principle. If she were to sue...I'd ride that one out. Bearer instruments are exactly that...of no value to the persons NOT bearing.

TheProdigal

[joeunderdog]

9. There is precedent

Finders, keepers. Losers, weepers.

A social worker found a lottery ticket that was known to have been purchased by another woman--witnesses, etc. She kept the ticket, said "sue me" and won in court. It's just wrong.

Leave your car in a parking lot. Can I claim it?

Lose your keys or your wallet. Are they mine?

[underpants]

15. That is different, you have title to your car showing ownership

unless she signed the back of it there is nothing that proves she had it. It is a bearer note.

[joeunderdog]

18. Yeah, but the finder admitted finding the winning ticket.

That also seemed to prove ownership, but the court gave it to her. I couldn't believe it. The purchaser had a clerk saying she bought it. It didn't matter. I don't get it.

[markses]

23. It would not matter

There is no ownership on a bearer instrument other than the fact of being the bearer at the time of payment (with the proviso that SIGNING the ticket qualifies this status). It wouldn't matter if the person spilled red wine on the ticket, splattered some DNA on it, took a picture with such marked ticket, and had a 1,000 experts indictae that the ticket in the picture and the physical ticket were the same. When unsigned, it's a bearer instrument, period.

[soothsayer]

10. sez she's been playing these particular numbers for 2 years

only when the jackpot got high

[Catherine Vincent]

11. So who is telling the truth?

The winner looks innocent enough to where she would split the money if she found it. But looks can be disceiving.

[underpants]

14. Even if she did play those numbers (proof?) and video shows her ...

store (is there video?) it is a bearer note.

[private_ryan]

12. check for fingerprints

unless someone thought of that and wiped the ticket really well...

[ProdigalJunkMail]

17. good idea

<---wiping madly...oops...there go the numbers :-)

TheProdigal

[uncle ray]

19. wonder if she would have lost her paycheck so easily?

apparantly she treated the ticket as though it were worthless. i feel for her, but tough titty.

[Maeve]

20. UPDATE on story

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=4&u=/ap/20040106/ap_on_re_us/mega_millions_lost_ticket
CLEVELAND - A woman turned in the winning $162 million Mega Millions lottery ticket Tuesday, saying she came forward sooner than planned because she was angered by another woman's claim that she bought the ticket and lost it.
Rebecca Jemison, a hospital worker from South Euclid, turned in the ticket for the 11-state jackpot at Ohio Lottery headquarters, officials said. The lottery validated it Tuesday morning as the sole winning ticket for the Dec. 30 drawing.
~~~~~~~~~~`
She has a reciept for the ticket, too.

[underpants]

21. A receipt you say?

Ouch!

[Uzybone]

26. Yep

seems the Battle lady was fibbing. Why am I not surprised???

[truthisfreedom]

22. distraction... focus, people. 8^)

[markses]

24. Oh, so fucking what?

It's an interesting story, and taps into something fundamental in our culture. No need to be single-minded and monomaniacal about White Whale Bush Admin. in order to work effectively against it.

[Catherine Vincent]

25. LOL!