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.

[smith288]

Exactly. If they can show it is hers, the legally she would probably be entitled to its return. "Finders keepers" is not really the law in this type of situation since the ticket was lost, not abandoned.

If she can prove she lost it. Saying she bought the ticket isnt enough.

A few of her numbers she claims she uses is the month and day backwards. Now why would someone use that? instead of just normal?

[NormsRevenge]

Rebecca Jamison.. COME ON DOWN !!!! Your Prize is Ready!

[HiTech RedNeck]

Anonymous is one thing that big lottery winners aren't. They have to agree to let their real names be used in publicity for the lottery.

[NormsRevenge]

Rebecca has chosen the Cash option, about 94 million .. Nice lump sum!

[hobbes1]

IT will not get that far. If the Winner used a beting slip, there will be toher numbers on the winning ticket, that Ms.Battle will be unable to ID.

Then they should prosecute her for fraud.

[ClintonBeGone]

Fear not. She will soon hear those magic seven words: "How much to make you go away..."

Either way, two lives are about to embark on a very ugly public battle. This will probably end up being one of those stories of the year. Were I the ticket holder, I would offer only one deal. I'll give you whatever it takes (after taxes) to net you $1 million. If you fight me in court, I will see that you get no more than the $1 you paid for the ticket.

[Bikers4Bush]

Exactly.

[steveo]

Not in California

[NormsRevenge]

What a rush. Congratulations!

[NorthGA]

The only legal fees that should be actually paid should be by the winning ticket holder defending his/her claim. The plaintiffs should have to pay all other legal fees as pure speculation (contingency).

The

[RabidBartender]

If she has some older tickets with the same numbers, it would lend credence to her claims. I often go weeks without checking my numbers (they just stay on my car visor until I have a stack, then go check them online).

[Gaetano]

She's black ! Thank god. Mayfield Road is safe now.

[dead]

You're willing to give her a million dollars for making up a story?

Who the hell is she, Stephen King?

Give her a good swift kick in the ass as her parting gift.

[Naspino]

The Ohio Lottery says the ticket is a bearer note, which means whoever turns in a valid ticket is legally entitled to the winnings.

Says it all. I'm just angry I didn't know soon enough to drive up there and search for it myself. I had a lot of plans for that money.

[MineralMan]

"In short, this woman cannot prove the ticket was hers."

Bingo! Had she reported it missing before the drawing, I'd have some sympathy for her. After the drawing, however, her claims about how she picked the numbers are very suspicious.

If I knew the numbers for a given lottery, I have no doubt I could come up with some list of reasons I picked each number, tying them to family birthdays, ages, etc., just as she claims to have done.

About the only way she's going to be able to prove her claim is if her fingerprints are on the ticket, and that's fairly unlikely. The finder could easily wipe the ticket down and remove any such prints.

Bottom line: If you buy a lottery ticket, hold onto it. If you lose it, you ain't getting the money.

[Trailerpark Badass]

In short, this woman cannot prove the ticket was hers.

Obviously, there is a date/time record of when the ticket was sold. If some other evidence can establish who was at the counter at that time, like store surveillance video, then it is entirely possible to determine the owner.It shocks me to hear the police and lottery officials yapping about "finder's keepers" in this case. It's completely irresponsible.

[Euro-American Scum]

The Ohio Lottery says the ticket is a bearer note, which means whoever turns in a valid ticket is legally entitled to the winnings.

End of story. Except of course, that this woman is an oppressed woman of color and is, once again, victimized by the bigotry and hate inherent in the hearts of all white heterosexual males.

She'll sue and she'll win.

[lelio]

She's black ! Thank god. Mayfield Road is safe now.

Darn, and I was anxiously awaiting Johnny Cochran or Rev Al to jump into this with a new catchphrase.

[Bikers4Bush]

I do the same. Chances are that she still has the bet ticket she used and all the numbers on that will match all the numbers on the ticket.

[Naspino]

The video surveilance was broken.