CHICAGO, Ill. — A Cook County, Illinois, judge on Thursday refused to award a partial payout of a $118 million Mega Millions prize won by employees of a Chicago Heights-based bakery.
Twelve employees of the Pita Pan Bakery, 401 E. Joe Orr Road in Chicago Heights, who have taken to calling themselves the "Dirty Dozen," have possession of the winning ticket from a May 4 drawing that won them the record-high prize.
But another seven employees of the bakery have filed assorted lawsuits in Cook County Circuit Court claiming for various reasons they were part of the group that routinely purchased lottery tickets and should receive shares of the lottery prize.
Those lawsuits are pending and likely to take some time to resolve. To that end, attorney Michael Haugh filed a request that at least part of the prize be paid out now so the dozen people can have some of the money. The remaining money would be put in escrow until it could be resolved who, if anyone, has a legitimate claim to it.
On Thursday, Judge Kathleen Pantle issued an order that rejects Haugh's request. By his calculations, the lottery prize breaks down to $7.2 million for each client if all the lawsuits are rejected. If all the other lawsuits are found to be valid, the prize would be $4.8 million each.
In her order, Pantle said her priority is to "preserve the status quo" until the larger lawsuit can be resolved. Any payouts would violate that status quo, she said.
She also cited the fact that the Illinois attorney general's office argued on behalf of the Illinois Lottery against any partial payouts of the lottery prize. State lottery officials have said they will not pay any of the prize until the courts tell them who has a legitimate claim to the money.
"Given that both federal and state taxes must be properly paid on the winnings and the (state) administrative code dictates how payouts are to be properly made, it would be improper to order a payout at this stage," Pantle wrote.
Haugh had argued the dozen clients with possession of the winning ticket could receive a partial payment of a little more than $5 million each.
However, Pantle wrote, "the Dirty Dozen argues that the numbers can merely be adjusted, any payout would not be in accordance with the letter or the spirit of the law."
Pantle heard oral arguments on the issue in January and said at that time she would rule in writing by Wednesday, although she wound up taking an extra day before ruling Thursday afternoon.
"I've been anxiously waiting by my fax machine for this ruling," said Erron Fisher, an attorney for two of the bakery workers claiming a share of the prize.
Haugh said he disagreed with Pantle's order, which he thinks was heavily influenced by the attorney general's opinion.
"I'm not sure I agree with it," he said.
He doesn't plan to challenge it for now, he said.
Haugh said that as the lawsuits proceed in the courts and more information is obtained during the discovery process, he may make another attempt later this year to try to get a partial payout for his clients.
"I may try to make another request on this issue," Haugh said.
Moral of the Story: Stay the Hell away from Lottery Pools. You better off all by your lonesome. No hassles, no " we were part of that winning and are now being shut out!"
Perfect example of why anonymity is bad. If these people are legitimately entiled to a share of the winnings, they could have been screwed out of their share if the other twelve were able to keep silent and hidden.
Common sense.
so sez Mr/Mrs/Ms blank profile .......
it can be said thar is a certain amount of risk to joining office pools.
but if one is foolish enough to join a poorly managed pool or was unable to cough up the money to play that drawing/week,but exspect to be covered by those who HAVE the money ... those without should just STHU and deal with it
I can't help but wonder if the other 7 workers were all people who were in the pool at one time and then dropped out at some point. If the current dirty dozen are the only ones who have copies of the tickets that were purchased it should be an open and shut case. That is, assuming copies were even made, which should be a no-brainer for any pool.
But having been in pools before nothing would surprise me. Which is why I now avoid them like the plague.
Better to go it alone.
I once joined an existing pool. 10 person limit. Each week a different member would collect the $$, buy the tix, make copies. Since I always played daily, I was eventually asked if I would get the tix every week. I had no problem with it and did it for 1 1/2 years. I would always pass out the copies the day before the drawing.
One day, my car broke down and I couldn't get to work on Monday. Got the car back late Tuesday. The Mega Mill. drawing was Tuesday night. So I got the tix Tuesday evening before the drawing and made copies at the store, I even got a receipt for the copies. Went to work Wednesday and passed out the copies, with a copy of the receipt included. Everyone was cool with it except for one person. His question was, how do we know you didn't just make copies of a bunch of losing tix and keep the winners? Which didn't make any sense since the copies were made before the drawing and had the time on the receipt. Which was only a couple of minutes after the time on the tix.(No body hit the jackpot that day).
I got pissed and said, after 1 1/2 years you're going to question my honesty? If you were that worried why didn't you get the tix yourself Monday night? He didn't have an answer. I then said I wasn't going to get the tix every week anymore and we should go back to taking turns like we did originally. All the other members gave him some you-know-what about it. But nobody else wanted to buy the tix. So the pool ended. And now I stay away from all lottery pools.
Drama Drama Drama.....
Got that right. LOL Just one example why pools are N.G. That's why they aren't worth all the
If we distribute a partial payment to the orignal pool members they will split town and won't pay the legal bills. Let's drag this on and on so the lawyers will make a killing.
not sure what is going on here but bakery workers called "the Dirty Dozen" makes me Not wanting any DONUTS from there
wow... if they are requesting a partial payout of the minimum amount they would win if ALL lawsuits are successful and still are denied... wow...
noise-gate is right
I agree. Sure, being in a pool increases your chances of winning because you're playing with more combinations, but I am not sure it's worth the aggravation. I don't even like to pick up tickets for friends unless they're sick or disabled and can't make it to the store. It sounds so simple, "Hey, pick me up a few PB tickets tonight!" but when one of those tickets suddenly hits the jackpot, or even $1 million, something simple can turn into a big mess!
co-workers are not friends and many friends are only friends when it's convenient. sad but often true. learn to love yourself and don't play the fool. people love to have slaves. tell them to get bent.
The overwhelming majority of pools that have won have no problems and the fact that so many pools win show that it is a sound strategy because it allows for you to have much greater chances of winning due to the fact that so many numbers and combinations are being played. There is nothing to stop you from playing your own numbers on the side also, but to not join in a pool if you have the chance is kind of idiotic. As long as it is set up properly, even if there are problems, eventually you will get your money.
If these guys get $7 million each, awesome, even if they get $5 million each that is still great. They can still retire and live very well regardless.
If I was a sleazy lawyer I would encourage the envious employees to sue the winners even for flimsy reasons. Then I would arrange with the lawyer who represents the winners to fight back hard thus earning himself 33% cut of the prize money. I would lose the case but I would secretly meet up with the lawyer that won the case and confirm a wire transfer to an account in Cayman islands is complete. Then I could join politics. But I am not so I won't so I can't
Have to agree with Haugh. Divide the $$ by 19. Give the 12 their share and let the other 7 prove themselves. If they can't the escrow goes to the 12.
I wonder how many of those lawsuits would have been dropped if the judge had announced that any persons that failed to have legitimate claims would have to pay not only the lawyer's fees for each legitimate winner but would also have to pay each legitimate winner daily interest on the monies they would have had if the award had not been delayed by their frivolous lawsuits. Wanna bet how many liars would've jumped ship?
The United States Motto is "In God We Trust"
If this motto could be given any seriousness or removed from the facade that it really is, because I do not believe that the United States Federal Government and the United States Courts have anything whatsoever to do with any God, let alone trust in one, as I believe that both establishments see themselves as the gods of the land, then a queue for the resolution to this controversy could be taken quickly from the Biblical Parable of the 10 Virgins found in Mathew 25.
The biblical resolution provided, is that the five foolish virgins who did not have oil in their lamps have no share in the bridegroom. Along that line of a resolution path, those pool members who did not front the money to buy the ticket pool that won, have no share in the prize won, unless agreements, culture, tradition and past verifiable experience within the pool allowed for a sharing across all pool members, regardless of each pool member;s payment status
Anyway since the pagan courts have the law to work with and the moods of the pseudo-deity judges, as the real laws by which they actually work with, it will really be interesting to see how it all pans out. Based on the present culture and nature of the Courts, the non-paying pool members may very well be rewarded some by the mostly dishonorable courts within these United States, and the attorney that practice in them.
I believe that an incredible and dis-proportionate number of lawyers, and sworn priests of the courts, do exactly these sorts of vile things everyday and all the time, in American Courts, across virtually all complaints types possible, and regardless of the lawyer's oaths that they took upon admission to the State Bars that admitted and empowered them to practice law.
I would say that in the trinity of the Dentist, Lawyer and used-car sales person with his exaggerations, the lawyers and their hypocritical suits, are at the bottom of the canonization scale, while the dentist and the used car sales person are almost equal.
The problem is some of the people joining the pool are thinking by playing infrequently they have as good of a chance of collecting part of a big prize as those playing regularly. Many pools will cave in and share rather than waiting a year or two to collect their money and wasting much of it on court cases.
I believe that an incredible and dis-proportionate number of lawyers, and sworn priests of the courts, do exactly these sorts of vile things everyday and all the time, in American Courts, across virtually all complaints types possible, and regardless of the lawyer's oaths that they took upon admission to the State Bars that admitted and empowered them to practice law.
I would say that in the trinity of the Dentist, Lawyer and Used-car sales person with his exaggerations, the lawyers and their hypocritical suits, are at the bottom of the canonization scale, while the dentist and the used car sales person are almost equal.
I must add that there are far more many many many Good, wonderful, kind and honest Lawyers, Dentists and Used Car sales persons out there, than there are of the bad ones. Like the old saying going, "A few bad apples appear to make the rest bad"
wrong again ronnie. pools are for fools. even if you think you have an ironclad person(s) running it. especially with work people who would just as soon stab you in the back if you got a raise and promotion that you felt you should get. you cannot trust co-workers 100%. being in a pool just to get extra tickets doesn't even marginally improve your chances and is nothing but headaches since it involves losing continously and non-gambler murmings arise that goes something like this. oh, i have to cough up another 10.00 twice a week, (this is starting to get expensive) so some drop out creating issues if you do win even a smaller prize. lo and behold if you are the one buying the tickets and somehow buy a ticket(s) independent of the pool and it wins expect deep seething hatred and jealousy at the very least and a couple of lawsuits to boot. stick to family member pools (if you trust them) if you must, but going solo is by far the best option.
Plus, the judge works for the Illinois Government.
Plus, the Federal and Illinois Government weren't displeased that this gets pushed into taxes being taken out at the MUCH HIGHER RATES than 2012.
Plus, we don't even know if any of these additional seven folks put exact monies due into this, exact, lottery drawing's tickets purchases.
Oh, oh ... Illinois! Oh, no big lottery pools!
They are getting $7 million minimum each, and they are fools?? Real smart thinking faber98
$7M means 7 girlfriends in 7 area codes lol I'd rather be that fool
Yeah, if any of those "fools" want to trade in their share I will be happy to be a fool on their behalf.