woman sues for lost lottery ticket

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ABEL

An Angel In Devil's Shoes
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http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/art...al_world/0f6e68e46d92118186256e14001fa79f.txt

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Two women -- one with a ticket, one tearfully without -- laid claim to a $162 million lottery jackpot Tuesday, triggering a legal dispute that could come down to "finder's keepers" or fraud.

Elecia Battle went to police Monday with the teary story of a lottery ticket lost outside a convenience store, and a small crowd with flashlights soon gathered in the snowy parking lot in search of the precious paper scrap.

Tuesday morning, Rebecca Jemison said Battle's claim prompted her to quit stalling, submit her ticket and collect the prize from the Dec. 30 drawing.


"I was angry at first, but not worried at all," said Jemison, 34. "I knew what I possessed."

Police, who originally said Battle, 40, had told a credible story about losing the winning ticket, are now investigating whether she lied in a police report, a misdemeanor punishable by 30 days to six months in jail.

Jemison turned in the ticket for the 11-state Mega Millions jackpot at Ohio Lottery headquarters. The lottery validated it Tuesday as the sole winning ticket for the drawing and Ohio Lottery Director Dennis Kennedy said the lottery is confident Jemison bought the ticket, not found it.

As proof, Jemison provided another ticket purchased at the same time and place as the winning ticket and had an outdated lottery ticket that showed she had played the same numbers in the prior drawing, Kennedy said.

Battle immediately filed suit Tuesday seeking to halt any payout to the winner.

"My ticket was lost. I do recall all the numbers. They are all somehow family-related. No one can tell me what I did and did not play. I did it honestly and I have no doubt," Battle told The Associated Press at the office of her attorney, Sheldon Starke.

Battle's suggestion on television that she had bought and lost the winning ticket "made me laugh," Jemison said.

"Let authorities handle her," she said. "It's very unfortunate that someone would think of something like this."

The lottery commission had no immediate comment on the lawsuit, said spokeswoman Mardele Cohen. Jemison, who said she had waited to come forward because she wanted to speak with a lawyer and accountant, could not be reached for comment after the suit was filed.

Jemison, who handles telephone and doctor paging duties at a suburban hospital, said she is looking forward to buying a new home, taking a vacation and sharing her prize with her family. She and her husband, Sam, have a 12-year-old daughter.

She took her winnings in an immediate lump sum of $94 million, before taxes. After taxes, it will be worth an estimated $67.2 million.

South Euclid, meanwhile, is expecting its own windfall to the tune of about $1.4 million in taxes from the prize. The Cleveland suburb had been expecting a $1 million deficit for 2004, and Mayor Georgine Welo laid off 11 employees last week.

Welo said Tuesday the unexpected income tax will make life easier in South Euclid, and that she likely would soon rehire two of the laid-off workers.

Earlier Tuesday, Starke, unaware that the lottery was validating Jemison's claim, said he intended to make a case that the winning ticket was Battle's lost property.

"If there is one type of property that is not presumed to be abandoned, it's money," he said. "Anyone who finds it is not the owner."

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

After learning that Jemison turned in the winning ticket, South Euclid police Lt. Kevin Nietert said he had not been able to reach Battle and her attorney by phone. "From a police department point of view, it obviously draws into question the integrity of Elecia Battle's report."

The winning ticket was sold at Quick Shop Food Mart in South Euclid, about 15 miles east of Cleveland.

Battle filed a police report saying she dropped her purse as she left the store after buying the ticket. She said she realized after the drawing last Tuesday that the ticket was missing and told police that the numbers she picked represented family birthdays and ages



i don't see how this woman thinks she can even get away with this. i know i'm not a lawyer but i know enough to know that on the megamillions website, it states:

What happens if I lose a ticket?
Mega Millions is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets. Protect yourself by signing the back of your tickets. Lottery tickets are bearer instruments. Unless signed, anyone in possession of the ticket can file a claim.

not to mention the computer shows only one winning lotto ticket :rolleyes:



what some people try to get away with :tsk: :laugh:
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
ummm is it just me or aren't their security cameras in all of these convenience stores? let's just look at the tape from the time the ticket was purchased and settle this whole thing. and if the first woman lied to the police, which i think she did, send her ass to jail.


yes:up:
 
i bet if she ever did find the lotto ticket she'd lost, she'd find that probably all the numbers were similar except maybe she wrote down one wrong or something :laugh: :silent:

but yeah, she's just after the publicity...and of course any money she can get outta the deal :down:
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
ummm is it just me or aren't their security cameras in all of these convenience stores? let's just look at the tape from the time the ticket was purchased and settle this whole thing. and if the first woman lied to the police, which i think she did, send her ass to jail.

how much detail do the video cameras show? i mean you might be able to tell if she went to that particular store and bought something at what time, but i don't think you could read the numbers off a lotto ticket in her hand :shrug:
 
you guys should check out the Smoking Gun's Web site. this woman is a con artist. its going to be hard for her to prove her case and she'll probably end up in jail for making a false police report.
 
ABEL said:


how much detail do the video cameras show? i mean you might be able to tell if she went to that particular store and bought something at what time, but i don't think you could read the numbers off a lotto ticket in her hand :shrug:


ok that's weird why did the word cameras get underlined like that as a link? i didn't add anything for it to be a link? :confused:
 
It's a shame, because even though this is bullshit, the woman played the same set of numbers a lot and has proof, and the liar will lose in the end, this lawsuit can hold the real winner's money winnings up in red tape for years. :(
 
Now, she admits she was lying

Ohio Woman Admits Lying in Lotto Case

CLEVELAND - A woman said through tears Thursday that she lied about losing the winning ticket for a $162 million lottery prize awarded to another woman.

Elecia Battle, 40, is dropping her lawsuit to block payment of the 11-state Mega Millions jackpot to the certified winner, her lawyer Sheldon Starke said.

"I wanted to win," Battle said. "The numbers were so overwhelming. I did buy a ticket and I lost. I wanted to win so bad for my kids and my family. I apologize."

The Cleveland woman had filed a police report saying she lost the ticket, possibly when she dropped her purse outside a convenience store. The lottery declared Rebecca Jemison, 34, the winner on Tuesday.

Battle said she wanted to use the money to help her family and recently laid-off Cleveland police officers. She apologized to Jemison, her lawyer and her husband.

"I'm not a bad person, I'm really not," she said. "Everyone has a past."

Authorities are investigating whether Battle lied in the police report ? a misdemeanor punishable by 30 days to six months in jail.

Jemison, of suburban South Euclid, qualified for a lump-sum payment of $67.2 million, after taxes.
 
i dont feel sorry for that lady. i hope she goes to jail.




and totally off topic...but why are winners taking lump sum payments these days? wouldnt it be better to take the full amount in the long run?
 
icelle said:
and totally off topic...but why are winners taking lump sum payments these days? wouldnt it be better to take the full amount in the long run?

You don't think almost 70mil after taxes is enough? I'd do the lump sum if it was that high, then I could invest it right away, rather than wait.
 
yeah, see im kinda clueless about those things...lol.

taxes suck:|
 
i just saw the video clip of her confessing on cnn :rolleyes:



BonoVoxSupastar said:


You don't think almost 70mil after taxes is enough? I'd do the lump sum if it was that high, then I could invest it right away, rather than wait.

give it to friends, invest it, spend it, do whatever with it right away :sexywink:


i don't want to wait years and years to get the $
 
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