Aussie Seniors’ Feud Over $5M Lottery Payout Resolved in Court
A judge of the New South Wales Supreme Court has resolved a sour dispute between three senior tenants of a public housing apartment complex in Sydney, Australia, over a $5 million lottery prize.
A homeowner named Alan Way started the commotion by suing his neighbors, Mark Peter Bowling, 76, and Mota Posa, 89, alleging that he had participated in a lottery syndicate with them. When the syndicate made a lot of money, he said, he was left out.
The defendants contended that Way had departed from the syndicate over a year before to the victory, following a significant argument among the three.
Preparing the Books
Justice James Hmelnitsky concurred with the defendants on Friday, ruling that Way had neither financially participated to the ticket's purchase nor been a syndicate member at the time of the victory.
At the time of the victory on August 22, 2020, Hmelnitsky also revealed that the plaintiff had fabricated journal entries that claimed to document consistent monthly expenditures of $20 into the syndicate.
“I am persuaded to a relatively high level of certainty that those entries were not made contemporaneously,” Hmelnitsky told the court, as reported by Australia’s Daily Telegraph. “That being so, I am unable to accept Mr Way’s evidence that he contributed to the purchase of the winning ticket.”
After a dispute with Bowling in September 2021, the judge decided that Way had quit the syndicate. According to the court, the argument started when Way and a buddy known as "Young Barry" hosted a wild and inebriated party in his apartment.
According to court filings, neither Way nor Barry wore facemasks at a period when stringent social distancing protocols were in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Bowling gave Way $200K as a "gift" in spite of the falling out. The latter only found out about the whole size of the prizes from another resident later on, as they were unaware of it at the time. A fierce argument resulted from this, and Bowling and Posa left the house. Soon later, Way filed a lawsuit against them.
Criminal Organizations
Lottery syndicates are a great way for players to increase their chances of winning while sharing risk and reward, allowing them to participate in more draws with more tickets for the same money they would typically spend on a single ticket. However, things can soon get ugly when players start fighting after a major victory.
Gary Baron, a courier driver from Victoria, was a member of an office lottery syndicate that won $8 million in 2014, but he chose not to share the news with any of his colleagues. Rather, he resigned his job and purchased a convertible BMW M4 and a luxurious residence.
When the lottery firm brought him a bottle of champagne to celebrate his windfall, his coworkers realized the scam. However, they employed the same courier service that Baron had previously worked for, and a syndicate member brought the bottle to him.
Eventually, Baron felt compelled to make amends with his old coworkers.
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