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.

[sinkspur]

She may become the "bearer" under certain legal circumstances. There is many precedents and probably laws as well on lost property.

Well, since the Lottery Commission has already recognized an "official" winner, Ms. Battles will have a very difficult time establishing any kind of claim to ownership.

[smith288]

She picked the winning 12-18-21-32-46-49 numbers by:

• One son's b-day is 12/18/03 == 12 - 18
• 21 for luck == 21
• other son is 23 years old (switch 23 -> 32) == 32
• sister was born in 1964 (another switch 64 -> 46) == 46
• husband turns 49 this year == 49

I think just about anyone could whip together reasoning behind these numbers.

[Wissa]

Not the way I read it.

[Semper Paratus]

A few years ago a somewhat similar case happened in Massachusetts. The woman had a deal with a lottery vendor to automaticaly play 20 sets of the same numbers every week. When one of the numbers hit for (I think 30 million) the store owner said he played that number for himself. Since the woman had evidence going back months of her weekly play he was SOL and lost his lottery vendor license. She settled for a million to make him go away since it he was litigating and she wouldn't see anything for a year.

[Protagoras]

Huh? A link to google?

[Bikers4Bush]

Lottery Winner Claims She Played Same Numbers For 2 Years
Rebecca Jemison Wins $162 Million

UPDATED: 12:19 p.m. EST January 6, 2004

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- A South Euclid woman turned in the winning $162 million Mega Millions Lottery ticket Tuesday.

Rebecca Jemison said she has played the winning numbers for the past two years. She picked the numbers randomly and even played them the Friday before. She never thought she would win this big.

"I had a feeling, something told me to go play them again one more time," Jemison said.


Her only plans are for she and her husband to relocate.

The winning ticket was verified one day after Elecia Battle said that she dropped the winning ticket in the parking lot outside the South Euclid store where she bought it, NewsChannel5 reported.

The frenzy sent more than 100 people out to where the store is located to search for the ticket.

Jemison, who works at Hillcrest Hospital. was presented the check by the Ohio Lottery officials Tuesday.



Winner's Husband
Winner Speaks



"I knew the proof I had. I didn't worry," Jemison said.

She said after the initial shock that she wanted to consult an attorney and an accountant. Jemison even went to work on Jan. 2. She was in the middle of organizing her affairs when NewsChannel5 reported that Battle claimed ownership of a lost ticket.

Jemison and the lottery will let the authorties handle the case with Battle.

Jemison and her husband, Sam, 40, have a 12-year-old daughter. She joked that they would be going to Disney World.

Jemison chose the cash option. That will net her $67.2 million after taxes.

Battle had told police last week that she dropped her purse and didn't realize the ticket had fallen out until after the drawing.

[Rutles4Ever]

This means nothing. Isn't there a way for the lottery to check and see if those numbers were played previously on that store machine (or nearby locations) in previous weeks?

Between the two parties, wouldn't one have at least one previous ticket somewhere with those numbers? (buried in a drawer, in a purse, etc.)?

[smith288]

Your right, nothing is cut and dry in law. Anyone could litigate something to death.

But in this case, I dont see anything that says this ticket is rightfully Mrs Battle's. And the rules of the lottery says "finders keepers". Legally, she can try to get it i guess just like I could legaly sue Mrs Jamison saying its mine because "I dont make enough" as my reason.

[GOP_Proud]

The only one I couldn't put down. The rest are junk. IMHO.

[Richard Kimball]

I think Battle is playing Wheel of Fortune. She's scamming, and anything she gets is a bonus. News stories tell where the winning tickets are bought, and you wouldn't have to be a friend of someone in the store to go in there and say, "wow, ya'll sold the winning ticket? How much do you get? When did it happen?"

If the states want to keep their lotteries going, they'll squash her like a bug. If they don't, you'll have a couple of hundred people losing tickets every time there's a prize.

[Johnny_Cipher]

The woman had a deal with a lottery vendor to automaticaly play 20 sets of the same numbers every week. When one of the numbers hit for (I think 30 million) the store owner said he played that number for himself.

Interesting. She never received a paper ticket with her numbers imprinted thereon to take home? If she didn't, oops.

Since the woman had evidence going back months of her weekly play he was SOL and lost his lottery vendor license.

If he didn't go to jail for fraud too, then justice was not served.

[Rutles4Ever]

I guess that's what it comes down to. Even if it WAS her ticket, she has no claim to it. period.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I hope these two parties use the good sense that G-d gave them and split the winnings.

And may He also smite the fool that turns down $40-$50 million in the name of greed.

[Johnny_Cipher]

If the states want to keep their lotteries going, they'll squash her like a bug. If they don't, you'll have a couple of hundred people losing tickets every time there's a prize.

I agree. Only I would have put "losing tickets" in quotes :)

[hobbes1]

Rebecca Jemison said she has played the winning numbers for the past two years. She picked the numbers randomly and even played them the Friday before

Will TSG also report that it was mere coincedence that Jemison apparently played the same 5 play ticket as the "Winner" and then happened to find the winning ticket after Battle lost it? LMAO!

[hobbes1]

See Above. Battles will be lucky not to take a trip to the pokey.

[Protagoras]

Ms. Battles will have a very difficult time establishing any kind of claim to ownership.

I never said it would be easy. And she may turn out to be a fraud, but the idea of lost property is what I am addressing. The Commission may validate that someone holds the ticket, but that will not decide who gets the money in the end.

In the same drawing, a group of people I know here in Chicago had the winning number for $175,000. One of the people in the group has stolen the ticket. The rest have proved to police that they all owned the ticket and she was merely the one who went down to check the many tickets through the machine at the vendor. They have photo copies of all the tickets. She will never see a penny in all likelihood. I'll bet they cash in in the end.

[Semper Paratus]

She never received a paper ticket with her numbers imprinted thereon to take home?

In Massachusetts you could arrange a vendor to play the numbers for you. The number that won was in the middle of the batch he submitted and the only won he claimed. Not a very smart man. He also went out of business when the merde hit the air blower.

[Protagoras]

Even if it WAS her ticket, she has no claim to it. period.

Incorrect.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Why don't they just fingerprint/take a DNA sample of the lady who claimed she lost the ticket, and see if there is any on the ticket? If the current holder is legitimate, she should have no problem with such a test being run, because if the lady is an imposter, she never touched the ticket. Likewise, if the lady's lawyer doesn't ask for such a test, you can rest assured that she is a fraud.