A B.C. man won a $2M jackpot. Members of his workplace lotto pool took him to court
CTV
A dispute over a $2 million jackpot among members of a workplace lotto pool has been settled by B.C.'s Supreme Court.
A dispute over a $2 million jackpot among members of a workplace lotto pool has been settled by B.C.'s Supreme Court.
"Winning the lottery should be a happy event. In this case, sadly, it has ruined relationships," begins Justice Y. Liliane Bantourakis' ruling, which was handed down last week.
The court heard Mandeep Singh Maan purchased the winning BC/49 ticket in August of 2022. At the time, he worked for a freight company where he and four of his co-workers – Balvinder Kaur Nagra, Sukhjinder Singh Sidhu, Binipal Singh Sanghera and Jeevan Pedan – were part of a lotto pool.
"(Maan) did not tell his coworkers of this good fortune. Instead, they learned of his win 11 days later when a photo of him holding a two-million-dollar BCLC cheque was posted online," the decision said.
"Initially, the plaintiffs congratulated Mr. Maan on his win. However, they soon became suspicious."
Two weeks after learning of Maan's windfall, his co-workers filed a lawsuit claiming the winning ticket was purchased for the lotto pool purchase and that the winnings should be divided.
Maan responded by claiming the ticket – and the jackpot – were his alone.
