In Arizona, a $12.8 million lottery ticket has become the subject of a court fight between a former Circle K manager and the company he once worked for.
The dispute comes down to a high-stakes question: If a lottery ticket is printed for a customer and never paid for, who's entitled to the winnings?
What happened?
According to Fox 10 Phoenix, the chain of events started at a Scottsdale Circle K in November, when a customer sought $85 in lottery tickets but reportedly had only $60 to cover the purchase. Several printed tickets were left behind.
One of those tickets was later found to be worth just under $13 million. Robert Gawlitza, the store's former manager, said he bought the unpaid tickets the following morning only after clocking out and changing out of his work shirt, which he says was consistent with store procedure.
Gawlitza's attorney, Josh Kolsrud, said his client acted exactly as he'd been trained.
"Their policy is to have Robert, the store manager, and the clerk that printed out the tickets purchase those unsold tickets," Kolsrud said.
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The winning ticket is in Circle K's possession, and the company contends the prize belongs to it, per Fox 10. Gawlitza, meanwhile, says he was doing what he'd been instructed to do. After 20 years with the company, he was fired in January, and the lottery office is retaining the money until a judge determines who's entitled to it.
Why does it matter?
The case centers on workplace rules, especially those involving money and lottery tickets.
If Gawlitza's version of events is accurate, the dispute raises questions about whether a company can benefit from a practice when it's routine, then distance itself once the stakes become enormous.
The former employee may have testimony and coworkers supporting his account, but the large company has a legal team and control of the physical ticket.
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What's being done?
Gawlitza is relying on the employee handbook, sworn statements from coworkers, and help from Kolsrud as he makes his case. Kolsrud said Gawlitza offered to divide the winnings with the worker who printed the tickets, arguing that the gesture undercuts any suggestion that he was trying to exploit the situation.
"The first thing he does is he decides to split it with somebody. That's not the action of somebody who has nefarious intentions," Kolsrud said, per Fox 10.
As the case moves forward, the lottery office says it will hold the prize and abide by the court's ruling. The dispute will likely turn on a review of store policy and employee actions and whether the strongest claim belongs to the customer, Gawlitza, or Circle K.
"I was just following directions to what I was being told," Gawlitza said, adding that he wants to restore his family name.
"They raised me to be an honest, hard-working person, and that's what I tried to do that day, and unfortunately that's not how I'm being portrayed," he told Fox 10.
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