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11 months ago
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A FURIOUS employee has sued his coworkers after he claimed they won a multimillion pound lottery jackpot and excluded him because he was on holiday.
Christopher Bates, 54, claimed to be a regular player in the lottery pool but was kept from the winning draw because he was away.
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GettyBates sued his 24 coworkers from the Bombardier plant in Ontario, Canada, who won £40million ($50million) in January 2011.
Each player was awarded over £1.1million ($1.9million), with around £1,423 ($2,400) in interest.
Bates called his lawyer after learning of the win, arguing that because he formed the lottery pool, he is entitled to a portion of the money.
“Okay, if you guys win the lottery, I’m going to sue. My lawyer is going to contact your lawyer,” he told the group.
It is understood that the coworkers argued that the pool was based on the group’s “no pay, no play” rule.
They were expected to add that the pool was not a regular occurrence but would be arranged randomly when the jackpot was above £17.7million ($30million).
But Bates wasn’t the only worker to claim a portion of the winnings.
Those who felt that they missed out on the prize money were in the pool but missed the life-changing draw in 2011.
The payout by lottery officials was paused amid the various claims which were put forward.
However, all but two of the claims were rejected.
The lottery organisation divided the jackpot 26 ways – the court held two of the shares pending resolution of the claims.
In Toronto, a 10-day civil trial was held to determine if Bates was qualified to receive a share.
He stated in his deposition that he addressed Sherif Morsi, the group leader, after returning from his winter holiday.
He said he asked Morsi: “Why didn’t you put in for me?”
According to Bates’s testimony, Mori said he failed to enter Bates because another employee still owed him money.
Bates’s lawyer Michael Cochrane argued that as his client was a regular player, the fellow group members had a duty of good faith.
But on the second day, a settlement was struck, ending the case overseen by Judge Carole Brown.
The lawyer for the 24 workers, Saul Glober, stated at the time that the terms of the unreported agreement remained confidential.
Glober added that his clients were happy with the result and to draw the issue to a close.
Meanwhile Cochrane gave other lottery pool players some advice.
“You need to pay attention. Just throwing $5 (£3) in an envelope isn’t enough,” he said.
He added that leaders of the pool need to be aware of their responsibilities, from holding money, buying tickets under the agreement of the group, and distributing the winnings.
Players also need to pay in enough time, know who the players are and the group leader, and to establish what happens when a win is made.
It comes after a pensioner spent 25 painful years trying to prove that he once won a £2million lottery prize but lost the golden ticket.
Robert Clemett, from Sydney, claims that he hadn’t realised the jackpot was his until a story about the unclaimed prize aired on TV four years later.
On September 23, 1997, the Oz Lotto draw was supposed to produce three big winners.
Instead, one huge jackpot has remained unclaimed – the largest outstanding prize in New South Wales’ history.
Clemett has spent decades fighting for the prize money after he said he realised his mistake while watching a broadcast about unclaimed lottery prizes in 2021.
He then immediately wrote to the lottery company to demand his win.
He alleges that he bought the all-important ticket for £32 at a newsagents and that it included a game with six winning numbers.
He has provided the details of the time and date of his purchase, the number of games he played, the type of ticket and the exact composition of numbers.
In 2014, he sued the state lottery over the unclaimed £2million but his case was dismissed by the judge.
Roughly 50 people have contacted New South Wales (NSW) Lotteries to claim the windfall.
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