A Manhattan judge has frozen most of the Mega Millions lottery winnings of a Mount Sinai Hospital employee and has told three co-workers who pooled money to buy tickets with him they may proceed with their lawsuit to get a share of the prize.
The lawsuit against John Piccolo says he kept $175,000 in lottery winnings that he should have shared with the three co-workers because he used their money to enter the Nov. 2 drawing.
The co-workers' court papers say each of the four should have received $43,750 of the second prize winnings before taxes. One of the co-workers says Piccolo offered her the souvenir umbrella that lottery officials gave him when he claimed the prize.
Piccolo, 36, of Elmhurst, Queens, says in court papers the group did not pool money for that drawing so he bought his own ticket at a supermarket near his home. He said he always bought the office pool tickets at a deli near the Manhattan hospital.
After deducting for taxes, lottery officials gave Piccolo a check for $109,000, some of which he used to buy a new car and most of which he banked, his lawyer Thomas Weiss said Wednesday.
State Supreme Court Justice Marylin Diamond in a decision last week froze $81,750 that Piccolo put in a bank account in St. Cloud, Minn., and ruled that his three co-workers could go ahead with their suit against him.
Joey Jackson, lawyer for Piccolo's three co-workers, said Wednesday that the defendant had "dissipated $28,000 of the assets, pretty much his share," and the judge froze the bank account to keep him from spending any more.
"Mr. Piccolo did an unjust thing," Jackson said. "He got amnesia when he got the money."
The three co-workers _ Veronica Edmondson, 30, of the Bronx, Denise Beaulieu, 47, of the Bronx, and Joan Pitcan, 46, of Yonkers _ work as administrative staff with Piccolo in Mount Sinai's department of hematology and oncology.
Edmondson says in an affidavit that starting in June 2004 she, Piccolo and others contributed $2 each twice a week toward a pool for playing the Mega Millions lottery on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The group's first win netted $3 on Oct. 29, Edmondson's papers say. She says the group told Piccolo to spend that money on more lottery tickets, which he did "in accordance with our mutual understanding and in a manner otherwise consistent with his normal, customary and usual practice."
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 3, Edmondson's court papers say, Piccolo called to tell her, "I just won the Mega Million second prize for $175,000."
Edmondson said she was hardly able to contain her excitement and exclaimed, "`We won, John!' to which Mr. Piccolo responded, `No, I won. I spoke to my wife about the winning ticket, but I mentioned to her that I was in a pool at work and she said that since you guys didn't give me money for the tickets yet you are not entitled to the money."'
Piccolo's three co-workers sued him about two weeks later.
Weiss said Wednesday that Piccolo and the three co-workers aren't getting along and there has been "a tremendous amount of tension in his workplace." He said Piccolo asked his supervisor for a transfer but was denied.
Mega Millions tickets cost $1 per play. Players pick six numbers from two pools: five numbers from 1 to 52 and one number from 1 to 52.
I know that lottery pools are popular in alot of work places, but in a hospital setting, it's usually deemed illegal to do, although it's done anyway. It's because of this kind of problem as presented in this article that administrations frown on such activity, and that winners tend to leave the hospital setting as fast as they can. I visited a hospital in New York two years ago that actually sold lottery in it's gift shop. This floored me. So I guess, it is not a problem for their employees to form pools and participate in this activity.
(don't tell anyone about the pool I have going at work)
I know that lottery pools are popular in alot of work places, but in a hospital setting, it's usually deemed illegal to do, although it's done anyway. It's because of this kind of problem as presented in this article that administrations frown on such activity, and that winners tend to leave the hospital setting as fast as they can. I visited a hospital in New York two years ago that actually sold lottery in it's gift shop. This floored me. So I guess, it is not a problem for their employees to form pools and participate in this activity.
(don't tell anyone about the pool I have going at work)
I've actually seen multiple hospitals in New Jersey that have lottery machines in their gift shops. I'll bet lots of hospital workers and nurses play.
<div class="quote"><label>Quote: Originally posted by Litebets27 on April 21, 2005</label><div class="quotebody">
<span style="font-size:12px;">I know that lottery pools are popular in alot of work places, but in a hospital setting, it's usually deemed illegal to do, although it's done anyway. It's because of this kind of problem as presented in this article that administrations frown on such activity, and that winners tend to leave the hospital setting as fast as they can.
<span style="font-size:12px;">(</span><span style="font-size:10px;">don't tell anyone about the pool I have going at work) [IMG]/emoticons/lol.gif" alt="" /></span>
I've actually seen multiple hospitals in New Jersey that have lottery machines in their gift shops. I'll bet lots of hospital workers and nurses play.
That's the only age-restricted product a hospital should be selling.
Quote:Originally posted by Todd on April 21, 2005
I personally like the part that says that there is tension in the workplace. Gee, you don't think....?
just imagine the horror that lady felt when she said "we won" and he said "no i won" the 'ol i bought the ticket with my own money in a different place trick........as far as tension goes i'm pretty sure that place is about to explode from all the bad vibes.....
There are just some people that let greed rule them. I sure hope that they sue his buttons off. The "I didn't buy it there" ruse is old and people have become wiser. I hope he has spent ALL of his share so that they can enjoy spending theirs. Greedy gopher..
I ran a lottery pool several times and each time we all got copies of the tickets and the winning numbers. We also had a contract..Nothing fancy but rules were spelled out.
I don't necessarily believe that the winning ticket was the pool's. Most everyone I know that either runs a pool or participates in a pool, all buy their own tickets on the side. That's natural. What I don't understand is why this guy Piccolo called up his co-worker to brag that he won the $175,000 prize? - That was stupid and unnecessary and why he's being sued now! News like that you share with your wife/family, etc., not co-workers who 9 times out of 10 are going to be jealous! It's his own fault really! Also, I use to run a pool and everyone had a copy of the tickets (including the tickets bought with small winnings, etc.) before the drawing. There would be no problem if the winning ticket was not on the pool's photocopy. I think the problem nowadays with jealous coworkers suing the person who ran a pool that won with his/her own personal ticket on the side is that, even if they believe it was not the pool's winning ticket, they will just get a lawyer to try to see if they can get some money anyhow!
The article says the co-workers sued him two weeks after he won. That was back in November.
The article also says he used what the pool won to buy more tickets. That's what's going to lose him the money. Piccolo's wife is the greedy one. She's the one that told him not to split it with the group.
The problem is 50-50 both Piccolo's and the group's fault. What idiot joins a pool that doesn't put out copies of the tickets. And what idiot runs a pool that doesn't put out tickets BEFORE the drawing. Rule 7: Can't Fix Stupid.
I have been successfully running a lottery pool for nine years now. I have rules which everyone who joins gets a copy of. I tell every player to read through the rules and let me know if they don't understand or don't agree with any of the rules. Since I like to buy my own ticket when the jackpot gets over $100 million, I make it very clear that only the copies of the tickets provided as part of the pool are the pool's tickets.
Lottery pools can be successful, if the person running them knows how to run them. I would join any lottery pool, as long I get a copy of the tickets before the drawing.
I personally like the part that says that there is tension in the workplace. Gee, you don't think....?
I know that lottery pools are popular in alot of work places, but in a hospital setting, it's usually deemed illegal to do, although it's done anyway. It's because of this kind of problem as presented in this article that administrations frown on such activity, and that winners tend to leave the hospital setting as fast as they can.
I visited a hospital in New York two years ago that actually sold lottery in it's gift shop. This floored me. So I guess, it is not a problem for their employees to form pools and participate in this activity.
(don't tell anyone about the pool I have going at work)
That's why everything and then some must be put in writing and signed by all pool members.
"Mutual understanding" is not enough.
I know that lottery pools are popular in alot of work places, but in a hospital setting, it's usually deemed illegal to do, although it's done anyway. It's because of this kind of problem as presented in this article that administrations frown on such activity, and that winners tend to leave the hospital setting as fast as they can.
I visited a hospital in New York two years ago that actually sold lottery in it's gift shop. This floored me. So I guess, it is not a problem for their employees to form pools and participate in this activity.
(don't tell anyone about the pool I have going at work)
I've actually seen multiple hospitals in New Jersey that have lottery machines in their gift shops. I'll bet lots of hospital workers and nurses play.
Oh someone posted it!!! Cool.
This is why I don't do pools. I just prefer to play on my own.
just imagine the horror that lady felt when she said "we won" and he said "no i won" the 'ol i bought the ticket with my own money in a different place trick........as far as tension goes i'm pretty sure that place is about to explode from all the bad vibes.....
There are just some people that let greed rule them. I sure hope that they sue his buttons off. The "I didn't buy it there" ruse is old and people have become wiser. I hope he has spent ALL of his share so that they can enjoy spending theirs. Greedy gopher..
I ran a lottery pool several times and each time we all got copies of the tickets and the winning numbers. We also had a contract..Nothing fancy but rules were spelled out.
This is a shining example of why I would never be part of any pool except the one I'd build for my new house. I hope the co-workers win.
i buy my own tickets.
I don't necessarily believe that the winning ticket was the pool's. Most everyone I know that either runs a pool or participates in a pool, all buy their own tickets on the side. That's natural. What I don't understand is why this guy Piccolo called up his co-worker to brag that he won the $175,000 prize? - That was stupid and unnecessary and why he's being sued now! News like that you share with your wife/family, etc., not co-workers who 9 times out of 10 are going to be jealous! It's his own fault really! Also, I use to run a pool and everyone had a copy of the tickets (including the tickets bought with small winnings, etc.) before the drawing. There would be no problem if the winning ticket was not on the pool's photocopy. I think the problem nowadays with jealous coworkers suing the person who ran a pool that won with his/her own personal ticket on the side is that, even if they believe it was not the pool's winning ticket, they will just get a lawyer to try to see if they can get some money anyhow!
The article says the co-workers sued him two weeks after he won. That was back in November.
The article also says he used what the pool won to buy more tickets. That's what's going to lose him the money. Piccolo's wife is the greedy one. She's the one that told him not to split it with the group.
The problem is 50-50 both Piccolo's and the group's fault. What idiot joins a pool that doesn't put out copies of the tickets. And what idiot runs a pool that doesn't put out tickets BEFORE the drawing. Rule 7: Can't Fix Stupid.
I have been successfully running a lottery pool for nine years now. I have rules which everyone who joins gets a copy of. I tell every player to read through the rules and let me know if they don't understand or don't agree with any of the rules. Since I like to buy my own ticket when the jackpot gets over $100 million, I make it very clear that only the copies of the tickets provided as part of the pool are the pool's tickets.
Lottery pools can be successful, if the person running them knows how to run them. I would join any lottery pool, as long I get a copy of the tickets before the drawing.
the coworkers should win....
if they don't its tragic....