Playing the lottery usually comes with minor disappointment in the end, but it’s preceded by great hope, and that’s why we play. In most cases, the disappointment is minor — because we only spent a few dollars — but in the rare cases that we win, collecting our cash isn’t always easy. If we win the lottery, for example, and someone else tries to say that we should share it with them, we could be met with great disappointment and stress at the thought of losing our winnings.
Imagine if the following situation happened to you. In 2011, a man took time off work due to back pain. Prior to that, he and his friends created a lottery group to purchase Mega Millions of tickets each month together. For three months, while he was away from work, the man didn’t contribute his monthly $5 to the lottery syndicate. Amazingly, his friends won the Mega Millions. The vacationing man decided to try and get what he felt was his share, even though he hadn’t contributed his $5 that month.
The man had a valid argument. However, because the syndicate’s agreement stipulated that it would cover monthly costs for members who were away from work due to illness or another reason, the court froze the earnings.
It’s not uncommon for problems to arise when millions of dollars are at stake and a lottery pool is supposed to share the winnings. Disagreements often arise. If you are embroiled in a lottery dispute like the one described above, or some other kind of disagreement, a personal injury lawyer can help.