A legal battle is underway in Arizona over a $13 million winning lottery ticket, with a Circle K convenience store, its manager, and a cashier all claiming a stake in the prize money. The Circle K store in Scottsdale filed a civil lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court in February, seeking a judicial decision on the ticket's rightful owner.
According to an amended complaint filed recently, a customer identified as Soonchun Kim purchased approximately $60 worth of lottery tickets on November 24 of the previous year. The cashier, Marline Ybarra, reportedly printed an additional $25 worth of tickets by mistake, with some of these falling behind the register.
Later that evening, the Arizona Lottery drew the winning numbers: 03, 13, 14, 15, 19, and 26. The store's manager, Robert Gawlitza, allegedly became aware that one of the winning tickets was printed at his store. The complaint states that Gawlitza clocked out, removed his uniform, and then purchased the unsold tickets.
Both Ybarra and Gawlitza subsequently signed the backs of the tickets, asserting their claims to the prize. The dispute is centered on lottery rules which stipulate that unsold printed tickets belong to the vendor, suggesting Circle K would be entitled to the winnings. However, the situation is complicated because Gawlitza purchased the ticket after his shift, and Ybarra signed it.
It remains unclear if Kim was aware of the extra tickets being printed or when they fell behind the printer. Kim has not publicly stated whether she intends to claim a stake in the prize. Lottery officials have confirmed the validity of the winning ticket.
The court has placed a hold on the 180-day deadline for claiming the prize money while the litigation proceeds. Representatives for Circle K declined to comment on the pending case, citing ongoing litigation. Attempts to reach Gawlitza's lawyer and Ybarra for comment were made, and contact information for Kim was not immediately available. Both Kim and Ybarra appear to be representing themselves in the legal proceedings, which is being overseen by Judge Joseph Kreamer.