THE VILLAGES, Fla. — A lottery lawsuit is all the talk in The Villages. A group of friends hit the Florida Lotto jackpot, but one single dollar has led to a fight over $16 million.
It's known as Florida's friendliest neighborhood, but there's scandal at the Hacienda Hills Country Club.
"Yeah, yeah. Everybody knows," golfer Otto Strunck told local media.
Eight employees and players are in a tug of war. The controversy is over a Florida lotto ticket, a winning ticket worth $16 million.
"It'd be an awful shame for money to end friendships," attorney Tom Culmo said.
Culmo is the Miami lawyer for 72-year-old Jeanette French. He says, for years, French and seven friends pooled their cash to buy tickets. Last week they won, but Culmo says the seven won't give his client her fair share; they insist she did not contribute to last week's pool.
Now, a judge has issued an order that stopped the lottery from turning over the millions, and both sides have lawyers. Those who know the players in this dispute say that is a mistake.
"I guess the attorneys will all figure it out by the time they get done with it," Villages golfer Bob Thomas said.
Culmo claims, every now and again, when a pool member wasn't at work and couldn't contribute their dollar a fellow member would spot them the buck. He says that's what happened with his client.
WFTV couldn't reach the lawyer for the other seven involved, but over at Hacienda's fourth tee some golfers say the friends should share the winnings.
"Would you cut her in?" WFTV reporter Berndt Petersen asked.
"Absolutely, in a heartbeat," golfer Dom Oriolo responded.
None of the lotto players involved in the lawsuit could be reached for comment.
French's lawyer says the group of seven tried to claim the cash option of $9 million. Each are owed $1.3 million before taxes if seven split the prize. If they included the eighth winner, it would be $1.1 million each.
Thanks to Nino224 for the tip.
I can't believe these people are so short-sighted that they would forgo massive amounts of money to spend on lawyers -- let alone not getting access to their lottery jackpot for months or years -- all for battling over about $200,000 less of a payout each (to give the 8th player their share).
Just goes to show that lottery pools are nutz, and I always avoid them.
It also goes to show that getting a windfall automatically makes half your brain disappear.
I have to say that this one baffles my mind.
If we have played together for YEARS and always spotted the $1 if someone is out. What's the problem this time?
I would not waste my time or money hiring a lawyer; it's just not worth it.
I certainly wouldn't want to wait around for my share of the jackpot.
I guess they just don't see the big picture.
"Shame on the group".
I can believe it. I remember a song titled "Love is Blind." Well now someone can write a song titled "The Love of Money Will Make You Blind to Common Sense."
If it is proven that this woman has been part of the group for the longest and everything is on the up and up, the judge should award her an extra portion just to spite these greedy trolls.
If it is proven that this woman is lying then she should be locked up for 25 years for being a greedy posing troll.
I agree with U Todd, if you are going to play the lottery then do it alone. Cuts down on the paperwork and the drama.
Congratulations Ms. French, I hope you receive your 1/8 share of your lottery pool's jackpot win and soon get some BIG happinesses in your life. Lottery jackpot wins are supposed to be enthralling, lingering experiences! Although, my thoughts these past few years have come to the conclusion that participating in a "lottery pool" is unwise, too many "wild card" individual personalities and conceiving potential!
Well, apparently Ms. French's lawyer, Culmo, has publicly (via WFTV) and privately informed the judge that in the past years this group always added the dollar for the frequent occasion when a fixed player in their permanent membered "lottery pool" was away. This is known as "precedence" in the field of law ... if it's been done before, it can -- and should be -- reasonably expected to be done again.
Unfortunately, this article didn't explain if lawyer Culmo's client, Ms. French, has given her "dollar" [owed] to the lottery pool's money collector as of yet. I hope she did, and had a witness.
If Ms. French has been participating for years in this lottery pool, I bet she is upset, after all, the consistent and only purpose of their playing was to WIN the lottery jackpot and split it among their fixed 8 players. That was the "agreement/mandate," very simple! Now, the other players in the lottery pool are going to be hard pressed to prove to Ms. French that they weren't part of the decision to claim the jackpot with her name omitted from the claim form! I suspect EACH lottery member coward is laying low or has managed to take up short term residence away from the subdivision they each occupy abodes in.
If I were Ms. French, and I ended up paying back my owed dollar to the pool, and I ended up receiving my fair 1/8th share of the lottery jackpot from the judge's mandate, I think I would STRONGLY desire to move away from these "friends" and city. What a multi-layered "hardship" for Ms. French to have been forced into: having to move away, if she is fiscally able (it still isn't much money after 35% or so in Federal taxes are deducted, so maybe she's stuck living there since she may have to spread her monies out until she reaches the potential age of 99 years old), risk making new friends or not and be isolated, make arrangements for a different place to live, and hire to have my possessions moved.
I'd think of all the lottery stories we've read over the years the brain loss from a windfall is closer to three fourths
Well it is very sad that these people are behaving like a bunch of Greedy Morons. I hope the lawyer takes a HUGE chunk of the money... They should be ashamed of themselves..
Greed makes people act in strange ways!
When this is settled who will benefit the most: The Attorneys!
This has got to be the dumbest crap I have ever seen. Maybe someone is thinking that the lawyers are working "pro bono".
I agree....DUMB....DUMB....DUMB!
If I ever win the lottery I plan on sharing it with the disadvantage youth....They better have their dollar ready to pay for their share of my winnings.
I believe an argument can be made that we each are "disadvantaged youth!"
This is the reason that I never play the lottery with a group!
I spend about $2 a week on Mega Millions or Powerball ........ I will be generous when I win ........ and I won't have to fight with anyone!
I like when 1 person wins ......... it has a big impact and .............
it drives the greed of envy crowd absolutely nuts
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Merry Christmas to all ........
I know that everyone needs a win, but I am hoping that I will be the lucky winner of ......
about $69,550,000 after taxes tonite!!!
This is the very reason why when I play I play alone people get crazyover a few dollars so you know they will lose their mind over millions. I would give her her share and keep it moving. They are holding up everybodys money. They are really stupid.
this husstle and bussttle among the lottery players could not have had come at a more worst time than on the eve of the christmass period.
Dayum all of this over $200,000 when they would each be taking home $1.1 Mil anyways (minus taxes)? Come on guys stop being so greedy! How would they feel if it was them that missed that one draw. You know good and well they would each expect a winning cut.
I have done pools with my neighbors and I was basically the "manager" of the pool so to speak. If someone couldnt make it I would still include them if they were a regular pool player and if they said they wanted to pitch in, but couldnt at that time....Now if they decided to not pitch in for several draws becuase they just didnt care, then thats a different story. But in this case, it seems the lady was a recent contributor
Money destroys friendships and in this case they are all making out very decent either way.
I agree, if she was good enough to be in the pool for years.....
Something stinks in Florida. They should cut her in.
Merry Christmas, even to the Scrooges!!
If in the past this pool always bought the same amount of tickets expecting players to later pay their share even if they won nothing then Jeanette French shouldn't have a problem winning her case however if it can be shown she only contributed some time with the attitude that I'm in if you win and I'm not if you lose then she may have a problem especially if the pool bought less tickets when she didn't contribute.
Exactly! When someone says lotto pool at work or in my circle of friends I say NO THANKS. It just causes headaches...Either I win or lose with my few tickets having other peoples tickets in a "Pool" doesn't increase my odds of winning that much. These people are crazy in the end they will have to pay all eight people in the pool AND THE LAWYERS! Besides that they are going to have to wait probably until May or June 2011 to get their money.....Just end the lawsuit now cut your losses pay the 8th person and enjoy your money during the holidays...I mean, why not, 1.1 million is a God Send during these tough economic times! Merry Christmas FR!
Lottery Pools are a bad idea all around I play alone so no worries of sharing or fighting over money
Reminds me of the group of insurance workers from New Jersey. One of the regular players was out the week they pooled the money and so the day they found out they won they just had the one guy pay and there were no problems. Of course, that jackpot was $216 million among 10 people, so they all still received more than these people will. It's sad how money can pull people apart.
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/190102
Don't worry. The lawyers will take a huge chunk of money!
Yeah, I was thinking of that story, too.
Split the take with the 'regulars' and be done with it.
The folks in this Flori-duh story are in total going to spend more on lawyers than it would have cost ...
Sounds like a simple solution if she was the only one who contributed in the past but not this time however if there are others who did the same thing then the group could get even larger.
That's one of the problems with some work place lottery pools, they allow people to get in when they have the money and out when they don't.
this is the most difficult case any magistrate will not wish to handle.
The lawyers just won the lottery!
im tending to believe that if there wasnt some reason to take the action of not giving her a cut they wouldnt do it.
now if they ll believed she was deserving a 1/8th share, would 7 eople conspire to deprive here of her cut?
i personally dont believe so.
some reson for them to take this action , maybe she never " had a spare dollar " when ever the money was collected.
maybe the covering ea week, had gone on for months and months.
who knows,
1st rule of pools is pay up when asked,. and 2nd is tell the people who dont pay up, YOUR'E OUT.
i dont think theywould cut her out just form spite, maybe its a lesson to pay your freeking money when you're in a pool.
i dont doubt that she will win something, either outt of court or thru a judgment.
as to the truth in the matter, only the poeple directly involved will ever know, and once you get lawyers involved even the truth will be hard to discover.
yep,