Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper

The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review

Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
News >  Nation/World

Settlement reached over $1M Arkansas lotto ticket

Associated Press

SEARCY, Ark. (AP) — A lawsuit over who owns a $1 million scratch-off Arkansas lottery ticket that a woman pulled from a convenience store trash can was settled out of court, a defense attorney said Friday.

Jury selection was set to begin Friday in White County for a trial to decide who should keep the winnings from the “Diamond Dazzler” ticket that Sharon Duncan bought in July 2011 at a convenience store in Beebe, about 35 miles northeast of Little Rock. Duncan said she threw away the ticket after a scanner said it wasn’t a winner, and Sharon Jones pulled the ticket from the trash and claimed the jackpot.

Lisa Petriches, the convenience store’s manager, sued Jones, claiming Jones illegally took the ticket from the bin that had been marked “Do not take.” Duncan joined the lawsuit after a judge determined she might be the true owner of the ticket.

Jones’ attorney Jimmy Simpson said a settlement was reached Friday. Simpson told The Daily Citizen (http://is.gd/MT8XgB) the terms of the settlement were confidential and sealed but Jones was pleased with the outcome.

The Jones family told The Associated Press earlier this year that $490,000 remained from the jackpot when the suit was filed. That was after they spent $190,000 and $320,000 was taken out for taxes.

A judge ruled in favor of Duncan earlier this year, but he later ordered a new trial and said he wouldn’t preside over it. The second trial was set to begin next week.

“As you get closer to a trial and this all starts to take shape, it’s amazing what happens on the courthouse steps,” Simpson said.

Steven Underwood, an attorney representing Duncan and other plaintiffs in the suit, declined to comment.

___

Information from: The Daily Citizen, http://www.thedailycitizen.com/

The Spokesman-Review Newspaper

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds.

Active Person

Subscribe now to get breaking news alerts in your email inbox

Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens.