More details surface that leave behind unanswered questions

By Kate Northrop

After a judge extended the expiration date of a $12.8 million jackpot-winning lottery ticket to identify the rightful winner, case documents revealed two more individuals who may have a claim to the prize.

The story surrounding a $12.8 million The Pick jackpot-winning ticket is getting more interesting now that two more people have been named in the legal battle.

In May, a judge extended the 180-day expiration date for the jackpot so that the court could figure out who the winning ticket rightfully belongs to. The extension was granted after the judge said that the court was "nowhere near" a decision, and that the case was in "waiting mode" while Circle K continued their efforts to identify important individuals involved in the generation of the ticket.

In the latest release of court documents, two more individuals have been named in the lawsuit, including the customer who originally made the purchase that produced the winning ticket.

In May, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joseph Kreamer filed an order to compel Bank of America to provide details on the person's name and contact information since Circle K was in possession of her debit card number, and although it's unconfirmed whether that led to her identification, Soonchun Kim was nonetheless identified as the player who triggered the purchase but ultimately left the winning ticket behind.

Kim did not say whether she would pursue a claim to the ticket, she told the Phoenix New Times. However, the second latest person named in the case is staking a claim. Documents reveal Marline Ybarra as the Circle K employee who "sold" the ticket to store manager Robert Gawlitza after he clocked out.

Once Gawlitza paid for the ticket, which he knew was a winner for the $12.8 million jackpot, Ybarra signed the back of it. Proceedings do not confirm whether Ybarra and Gawlitza had made an agreement to jointly claim the winnings.

The Phoenix New Times reported that Ybarra was being represented by the same attorney as Gawlitza, but the court docket currently shows her as representing herself.

The most recent case update fills in some gaps but elicits some new questions. Originally, the clerk at Circle K had printed $85 in lottery tickets, but Kim elected only to purchase $60 worth. She had left behind the remaining stack and left, leaving a pile of unpurchased tickets at the counter.

But filings mention that "some of the tickets fell behind the printer," which suggests the possibility that Kim might not have known they were printed to begin with.

Kim had also asked the clerk to reprint numbers from tickets she played previously, but documents do not yet confirm whether the jackpot winning ticket was produced with the numbers she requested.

Now that all potential claimants have been named and served, the next expected step is for the judge to ultimately decide ownership of the ticket.