Freeze put on Florida lottery syndicate’s winnings
Thursday December 30th 2010A judge has ruled that a $16m jackpot won by a Florida lottery syndicate should not be paid out, following a dispute over $1. Jeanette French, a 72-year-old member of the lottery group, wasn’t available to pay her regular $1 subscription ahead of the draw. The group is now claiming that Ms French is not entitled to a share of the winnings as she was not there to pay up and buy lotto tickets, despite being a member of the syndicate for the past eight years.
After paying back her dollar, Ms French was given the lottery ticket to check if the group had won a prize, which is when the dispute began. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, Ms French is claiming a $1.1m share of the cash, and says it has been regular practice for lottery syndicate members to cover for each other on such occasions.
The other members of the syndicate would receive an extra $200,000 each if Ms French is excluded. Following the granting of an injunction however, no one will get to touch a cent of the winnings until the legal dispute is resolved.