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Nov 17, 2003, 4:36 am (Post a comment)
Deer hunting, snack food and Powerball have propelled two Laotian immigrants into a Polk County (Iowa) court battle over how they should split the proceeds of a winning lottery ticket.
Ip Khanthapengxay contends that a friend, Nye Khamhuang, cheated Khanthapengxay out of his share of a $100,000 ticket purchased last year at a Des Moines QuikTrip store.
Court papers say the two Des Moines men, who stopped for soft drinks at the beginning of a Dec. 21 deer-hunting trip, had an agreement at the time that they would split any Powerball winnings. Khanthapengxay's lawsuit claims that he and Khamhuang made the deal after Khanthapengxay paid for soft drinks and gas.
Khamhuang, however, says that he bought his own drink and that Khanthapengxay never chipped in for the five Powerball tickets.
One of the tickets turned out to be worth $100,000.
Khamhuang said he offered Khanthapengxay a check for $10,000 on Christmas Eve "because he's friendly and because he wishes to make me win." The friend happily accepted, Khamhuang said, and he heard nothing more about the issue until court papers arrived last week.
Khamhuang said he was surprised by the lawsuit. "If he had a problem, I don't know why he didn't say something before."
Court papers say Khanthapengxay thinks he's entitled to half of the after-tax winnings.
Des Moines Register
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