Powerball Lawsuit Dropped
The lawsuit over a Powerball ticket purchased by a Maine woman in New Hampshire has been dropped.
Four co-workers had claimed that the ticket was part of an office-pool agreement and wanted their share of the $41.5 million jackpot. But their lawyers now say they've decided to end that claim.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by four people who worked with Pat Wales at Lincoln Financial Group in Portland said the ticket had been bought as part of an office pool. They said 19 members of the pool kicked in $10 apiece to share 190 Powerball tickets.
A lawyer for the plaintiffs said he had acted yesterday to preserve his clients' rights. But he says, "Once we got the answers, we decided to dismiss."
A lawyer for the couple that came forward with the ticket had said he had proof that the ticket was not among the 190 tickets that the winner had bought for her colleagues as part of the office pool.
The Waleses' lawyer, Terrence Garmey, insisted the winning ticket belongs to the couple, offering as proof sales records from the convenience store in New Hampshire where the numbers were bought.
He said Pat Wales bought 190 numbers for her office pool, then a few minutes later bought 20 for herself and her husband. And the winning number, Garmey said, was among those 20 tickets.
Garmey said Pat Wales was "devastated" when told her co-workers might sue.
"She put her head on the table and sobbed," he said. "When I comforted her, her first words were, 'Let them have the money.'"
Garmey said he persuaded her to fight any claim.
Altogether, four winning tickets to the jackpot were sold around the country before Saturday's drawing in the multi-state lottery. Each winning ticket is worth $73.7 million, or one-quarter of the third-biggest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
The winners in Kentucky, Minnesota and New Hampshire have all come forward and a first-grade teacher in Delaware and her brother, an attorney from the Pittsburgh, Pa. area, stepped forward Thursday to claim their share of the Powerball jackpot.
As holders of one of four winning tickets, Michael J. and Kathleen Kearney were entitled to $73.7 million paid out over 25 years or $41.4 million in a lump sum, before taxes.
At a ceremony at Delaware Lottery headquarters, the Kearneys held up a giant replica check for $30,051,852.56.
The Kearneys were the last of four winners to identify themselves.
"I guess we'll help the economy somewhat," Kathleen Kearney said.
Neither her nor her brother say they plan to quit their jobs and say they haven't decided what to do with the money.
The winning ticket was bought at a newsstand in Hockessin and was a five-dollar Quick Pick ticket bought Saturday evening.
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