Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 29, 1990 TAG: 9005260242
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE WILLIAMS COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In recent months, lottery jackpots have spawned two Florida lawsuits filed by an ex-spouse and a former fiancee who claim their one-time main squeezes have squeezed them out of a rightful share of seven-figure jackpots.
With 32 states and the District of Columbia churning out lottery prizes every week, such lawsuits may be the next growth market for lawyers.
"It's usually people who know each other but haven't written anything down about how they'll split the winnings," said Marc Narducci, editor of Lottery Player's Magazine, a Moorestown, N.J., publication with a circulation of 200,000. "There have been cases like this in Massachusetts and Illinois."
Florida's latest lottery skirmish came this week when a Port St. Lucie woman sued her ex-fiance, a Palm Beach Gardens man, saying he owes her one-quarter of a $16 million New York jackpot won in 1987.
June Shaner, a waitress, says Salvatore Crisafi bought the winning ticket with money earned at a plumbing business she owned but failed to give her any of the proceeds when the couple split up in December after they moved to Florida.
Shaner's lawsuit comes on the heels of a much-publicized trial in nearby Stuart, where a jury awarded Lewis Snipes one-quarter of his ex- wife's $31.5 million Florida jackpot. Snipes claimed he bought the winning ticket only to see his ex-wife sign it and split the prize with her sister. A jury agreed that he was due a share, but Snipes now says he may reject the award and seek half of the jackpot.
Narducci said such lottery disputes most often stem from two unrelated or distantly related individuals buying tickets together. Office or neighborhood pools usually put something down in writing and rarely fight over winnings, he said.
In Massachusetts, one woman who thought she had won a share of a jackpot missed the awards ceremony when relatives left her at home and claimed it all for themselves.
"It's basically greed," Narducci said. "No one ever thinks they're going to win, but when they hit, people's personalities tend to change."
by CNB