Source: Colin McConnell / Getty
Christopher Bates was on vacation when his coworker’s lottery pool won $50M now he’s suing all 24 coworkers for a portion of the payday.
Unless you’re already filthy rich, you’ve dreamed of hitting the lottery one day and quitting your job, and traveling the world. While the odds of that happening are slim to none it’s still worth spending a few dollars here and there to try. Every so often you see the headlines of historic jackpot numbers and sometimes it’s enough to make you go play a few numbers. In the workplace often times those headlines lead to group lottery pools in hopes of winning and splitting the money amongst each other.
Ontario Man Sues Coworkers For Excluding Him From $50M Lottery Pool Win Because He Was On Vacation
According to The Sun, Christopher Bates was a regular participant in his jobs lottery pool. However, when he was on vacation the unthinkable happened. While Bates was enjoying relaxation the work pool won the lottery to the tune of $50M. This instantly created an awkward situation for all parties involved. Keep in mind this happened in 2011 and caused everyone’s big payday to be delayed. Bates sued all 24 of his co-workers from his Bombardier plant in Ontario, Canada. Other coworkers ended up making a claim for the winnings further delaying payouts.
Only two claims moved forward after the disputes were made. Allegedly his peers argued the “no pay no play” rule as a defense but in the end, it wasn’t enough. Bates’s lawyer argued his peers had a duty to act in good faith running the pool. Furthermore, he stated they should have entered everyone into the pool who regularly participated. In the end, a 10-day civil trial began and ended on the second day. A settlement was reached but details haven’t been disclosed to the public. There was enough to go around for everyone.
Reportedly each player was awarded over $1.9M, with around $2,400 in interest from the lengthy delay.
