Valid $179 Million Lost Lottery Ticket Turned In- Battle Looms Over 'Lost Property'

Detroit Free Press ^ | 1/6/04

[11th Earl of Mar]

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Someone turned in a valid ticket for the $162 million Mega Millions multistate lottery jackpot, the Ohio Lottery said Tuesday, a day after a Cleveland woman claimed she lost the winning ticket outside the convenience store where it was sold.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

He's doing the right thing.

It appears that he is, God bless him. Unfortunately, it also looks like he's married to a real piece of work. I don't envy him.

[Slicksadick]

She will be very easy to believe when she shows losing tickets, from previously drawn games, showing her same unique "family" numbers.

[auboy]

Ms. Battle Ax

What a trainload of BS. She's so full of it, it's going to soil her hat.

[lelio]

Dollars to doughnuts she used one of her other 5 (she has 7 and used 2 of them this time) kids' b-days playing before.

[Protagoras]

If the person buying the ticket signs the back of it, then only that person can claim the prize even if the ticket falls into somebody else's hands.

Does that prevent you from claiming multiple owners? If so, it would explain why many don't do it.

[smith288]

Get it now? It isn't about her.

Nope. I dont get it now (your point of view). She sounds like an oppurtunistic scam artist. And the proof is now proving Mrs Battle to be the fraud.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I hope she doesn't get anything if she's pulling a scam.

Well, yeah.

If I won 60 million legitimately and some woman is trying to SCAM me out of it -- why would I have the "good senses" to split it with her?

If it is a scam, yes. My statement was predicated on the scenario of a lost and found ticket.

Other than that, to respond directly to your question...What is the difference between 30 mil and 60 mil? Either figure puts you on the Gravy Train for life. Especially when you consider the fact that you have the opportunity to share it and change so many people's lives for the better (presumably). Wouldn't you feel good giving away a ton of dough, knowing that 30 mil will set you and your heirs up for life?

[Old Professer]

It had already been announced as to the store, the numbers and the fact that no ticket had been turned in before Battle made her report to the police.

I would want something more before I would entertain a claim.

[Old Professer]

If we set out to punish stupidity we won't have any money left to play the lottery.

[Terry Mross]

I knew a black woman who won the lottery. Turns out she was still married. Eight years earlier her husband had tried to divorce her but she wouldn't sign the papers and he didn't have enough money to pursue it further. So, after she won she was on the radio, TV, in the paper, etc. He says, "I want my half since Texas is a community property state." I think she was getting 9 million over 20 years. She refused to cash the ticket. Her contention was that it wasn't a "winner" until she cashed it in. She was going to get a divorce first. He took her to court and the judge ordered her to cash the ticket. It ended up he settled for one million cash tax free. I also knew him and liked him. He was a decent guy. She was not a good person. And get this, her boyfriend tried to claim that he loaned her the money to buy the ticket but that dog didn't hunt.

[SamAdams76]

The person who signs the ticket can then arrange for the winnings to be disbursed as he/she sees fit. Usually when multiple owners are involved (such as an office pool), they hire a lawyer. The lawyer than claims the ticket and divvies up the winnings (after taking his cut, of course). All of this is drawn up legally ahead of time.

But it is never a good idea to participate in such a pool because there are invariably hard feelings. I can't remember all the details but there was an office pool a few years back that won a multi-million dollar prize. It got real nasty because the group tried cutting out a couple of members who didn't pony up the money that particular week. As well, other co-workers who weren't in the pool tried to claim that they were and so forth. It got ugly.

[smith288]

I play $5 every time the lotto goes above 50 or 100 million. I dont think $5 is too much for a chance at millions. If you play habitually, then yes, thats stupidity.

[Bikers4Bush]

She filed a police report saying she'd lost the winning ticket.

We have laws against that sort of thing.

[Old Professer]

The logic police have been dispatched, expect your connection to be severed without further notice; have a nice day.

[smith288]

A group of people in Westerville (Columbus), OH won a powerball lotto (they went cross state). They all were able to divy it up just fine and one family moved just a few houses down the road from us. They were rednecks who moved into a beautiful white house with a pond. They played bluegrass and waylon Jennings on the weekends outside during the summer. Pretty funny folks.

[Protagoras]

I play $5 every time the lotto goes above 50 or 100 million. I dont think $5 is too much for a chance at millions. If you play habitually, then yes, thats stupidity.

It's always stupid.

But after it gets to $50 million, it's fiscally irresponsible not to own one ticket. :^}

[NYC Republican]

She picked them at random TWO YEARS ago and has been playing them since

I don't know if anyone else covered this, but if she picked these numbers two years ago, and the first 2 numbers, 12 and 18, represent the birthdate (in '03!) of her child, either she's a blatant liar, or had incredibly good foresight, knowing exactly when her 7th child would be born, even before the child was conceived! hmmm....

[smith288]

Its stupid if you don't think $1 isnt worth even a slight chance at millions.

Millions of people pay $4 for cigarettes that could kill them....

I pay $5 for a chance at something that could give me some financial freedoms (pending I stay true to myself and use it wisely).

I think ill rank mine $5 needless spending lower on the stupid scale compared to other things.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

I don't know if anyone else covered this, but if she picked these numbers two years ago...

You've got the two women confused. The real winner picked random numbers two years ago. The scam artist tried to tie the winning numbers to events in her life. (And some of them seemed to be a bit of a reach.)

[smith288]

I think you are mixing up the ladies. The women deemed the winner, Mrs Jamison, said she picked them randomly 2 years ago. Mrs Battle has said she uses these numbers based on personal dates and such.