Finders keepers losers weepers, woman who found $1 million lottery ticket from trash to return cash

An Arkansas woman who cashed a $1 million lottery ticket that she found in the trash may have to give up the winnings to a woman who threw away the ticket after she bought it, according to a judge’s ruling yesterday.

Sharon Jones found a winning lottery ticket in the trash and went to cash it. Ms Jones said she gathered a handful of discarded tickets from the trash can in front of a convenience store - as she had done many times before - and said there was no sign alerting customers not to take tickets. She went through all the tickets and found the winning one.

The $1 million was given to her but shortly after, the store manager decided that the money should be given to the store since that was where Ms Jones found the ticket. Huh? Really? Where they do that at?? Lol. It was in the TRASH in front of the store. The tickets were THROWN AWAY, she found them, so they are hers!

The yeye store manager decided to file a lawsuit against Ms Jones so that the store could claim the money, but check this out..a Ms Sharon Duncan appeared from nowhere to lay claim to the prize money as well. She said the winning ticket was hers because she threw it in that same trash can.

Madam Duncan, how on earth can you lay claim to that ticket??
#1) you threw it away which means you already lost ownership of it.
#2) you testified that you threw away the ticket after the read-out on a ticket scanner said, “Sorry. Not a winner.” which means you NEVER won. The scanner wasn't faulty, you just didn't win..PERIOD! So how dare you try to lay claim to the money.

The bizarre part of this story is that the yeye Judge Hughes ruled that the store manager- Petriches and the store’s owner, Louie Dajani - whose corporation, Summer One LLC, joined the suit - weren't entitled to anything but decided that Ms Sharon Duncan was entitled to the prize money, not Sharon Jones.

Sharon Jones after yesterday's court hearing

Jones’ attorney, James Simpson, said he plans to appeal. Jones had testified that she already spent some of the money on a new truck and cash gifts to her children. I don't blame her. The money was hers, this whole thing happened in July of 2011, so where on earth do they want her to get $1 million from??

White County judge Thomas Hughes, however, said Jones never met the burden of proof that Duncan abandoned her right to claim $1 million. “The $1 million was never found money,” Hughes said. If that's the case, then it means Duncan hasn't met the burden of proof that the winning ticket was hers either, cos the time stamp on the ticket and Ms Duncan's lottery receipt never matched, so how is the ticket hers??? I don't understand this Judge.

The judge instructed the winning side to write the judgment for his signature, and it will become official once Hughes signs it. Jones’ attorneys will then have 30 days to file an appeal.

Jugde Hughes found that the evidence weighed in Duncan’s favor that she bought the winning ticket, even though lottery records and store security video didn't sync up to the precise timing of the purchase.

Arkansas Lottery Security Chief Lance Huey testified that he investigated the circumstances of the ticket falling into Jones’ hands. He said the lottery was satisfied with the investigation and awarded the prize. So what's the problem here. They investigated the matter and saw that Sharon Jones was entitled to the money and gave it to her so why does this Judge wasn't to overturn it?

Duncan’s attorney, James “Red” Morgan, argued that she simply made a mistake by throwing away a $1 million ticket and that the only right she willingly parted with was to enter the ticket for the possibility of a secondary prize. Really?

Ms Jones found the ticket so she should keep the money. This is a very good example of 'Finders keepers losers weepers', period!! She shouldn't pay a dime back. She found it,it's hers! It's ridiculous!