Posted on 08/25/2006 5:08:47 PM PDT by bwteim
BLACKSTONE, Massachusetts - A man who retrieved a $1 million lottery ticket from the trash reached a settlement with the family of the man who claimed he accidentally threw it away.
Edward St. John, 83, agreed to give up $140,000 of the winnings because he wanted to enjoy the windfall before he died, his attorney said.
St. John was sued after finding the "Hold 'em Poker" scratch ticket in October 2005 while searching through the trash at a local convenience store for discarded winning tickets, something he regularly did.
Kevin Donovan, 49, who said he had bought every "Hold 'em Poker" ticket in the store earlier in the day but accidentally threw out the winner, protested St. John's claim to the winnings before the Massachusetts Lottery Commission. The commission rejected the claim in April, ruling that a lottery ticket was like cash, requiring only possession to show ownership.
Donovan died of a heart attack shortly afterward. His surviving children then challenged the commission ruling in court.
St. John's attorney, Scott Ambler, said his client was reluctant to agree to the settlement because he believed he deserved the entire prize. But Ambler said that Donovan's estate could have conceivably kept the case in court for so long that St. John might have died before it was resolved.
"If Mr. St. John had passed away before he got a chance to enjoy anything, that would have been the biggest shame of all," Ambler told a local newspaper.
Under the settlement, approved Tuesday by a judge, St. John gets $43,000 annually for 20 years, before taxes, while Donovan's estate gets $7,000 annually.
St. John said he planned to share the money with an older brother.
He also indicated that the windfall might force him to move because he lives in subsidized housing and might now exceed the maximum allowed income.
How did you get my ticket?
I don't believe money turns people into jerks. I believe it just makes jerks stop pretending to not be jerks.
Note to self : If you ever find a winning lottery ticket, say nothing about where you got it.
Oops, so it was yours then?
Kevin you're a dumbass, but I pray you are enjoying your just rewards.
Might?
He threw it away, he forfeited his right to it. Sad but true.
Proves that being a jerk is hereditary.
LOL. Money brings out the jerk in us, IOW.
Finders keepers, losers weepers.
And those "children" get to split up 7,000 a year before taxes.
Reminds me of an old quote "Say not that you know another entirely, until you have divided an inheritance with him." -- Lavater.
Hope those kids have fun getting to know one other just a little bit better.
I always though that “ticket in hand was money in pocket”?
He bought every ticket in the store but "accidentally" threw away the winner...you can't be a bigger loser than that!
That should about cover the lawyer's fee. Good job.
I think our attorneys can settle this in a amicable manner.
Perhaps in your and my eyes, but not in Massachusetts.
"And the lights all went out in Massachusetts
I will remember Massachusetts..."
It wouldn't surprise me if the stress of throwing the ticket away contributed to his heart attack.
Ya think, huh?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.