Everyone seemed to have a lot of negative thoughts about this case, thought the two women had a plan or something, but read this
A jury might decide whether a Fayette Coynty
woman should receive half of a former housemate's $1 million state lottery jackpot during the October trial term.
Yvonne M. Evans filed a lawsuit in March against Mary Ruth Rechichar, who moved out of Evans' Redstone Township home after scratching off a winning ticket in the $275 Million Dollar Cash Extravaganza game.
Evans contends that she let Rechichar borrow her debit card to pay for the $20 ticket on March 11. Rechichar was employed at the Republic gas station that sold the game card.
In the lawsuit, Evans, 41, said the women were friends who decided to split winnings when they played the lottery.
Rechichar, 45, has described the women as lovers, but she denied they had an agreement to divide the $1 million jackpot or other lottery prizes.
She maintains, however, that she "gratuitously" offered to give Evans $100,000 before the lawsuit, according to court documents.
At a status conference Thursday, Judge Steve P. Leskinen gave the case a tentative trial date of Oct. 16.
In March, Leskinen approved a stipulation order in which Rechichar was allowed to collect $300,000 immediately, but the rest of the winnings went into a joint investment escrow account designated by the attorneys.
Rechichar has had at least one more significant scratch-off prize in the past three months. She won $5,000 in the same instant cash game in May, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery.
Chris Foreman can be reached at cforeman@tribweb.com or 724-425-2338.