An Arkansas judge resolved a contentious dispute between a worker and his boss over a $500,000 lottery scratch-off ticket on Tuesday. The ruling mandates that the prize be split evenly between the two parties, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
The discord began with a high-stakes purchase involving the Arkansas Lottery’s AR 200X scratch-off tickets. Jose Quinteros and his employee, Jorge Rivera Palma, found themselves at odds over the winnings from one of these tickets, purchased at a gas station in February 2023.
Quinteros filed a lawsuit against Palma a year ago, claiming the two had a mutual agreement to share any lottery prizes equally. He asserted that they purchased four tickets jointly, using the proceeds from previous ticket purchases, and agreed on a 50/50 split of any winnings. Quinteros accused Palma of reneging on this agreement when one of the tickets turned out to be a $500,000 winner.
Palma, however, countered that Quinteros had only provided him with money to buy two tickets, while Palma bought the other two for himself. He insisted that the winning ticket was purchased with his personal funds and thus the prize was rightfully his. Palma denied any agreement to share the winnings.
In November 2023, Benton County Circuit Judge Doug Schrantz ordered that the disputed winnings be held in the court’s registry until the matter was resolved.
Both parties agreed on the basic fact that Palma physically purchased the winning ticket from a Quick Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas. However, their narratives diverged dramatically from that point. Quinteros claimed they both scratched off the tickets together and that Palma requested to take the winning ticket to show his nephew, Marco Corado Erazo, who was also mentioned in the lawsuit.
Quinteros alleged that he drove to Palma’s house, handed over the ticket, and waited in his car for its return, which never happened. When he called Palma from his car to inquire, Palma reportedly said he would hold onto the ticket and they would cash it in Little Rock the next morning. However, when Quinteros returned to Palma’s house the following morning, Palma was nowhere to be found.
According to the lawsuit, Palma had Erazo cash the ticket. Palma allegedly assured Quinteros that he would give him his share once the winnings were processed, but this promise went unfulfilled.
Quinteros sued for breach of agreement and joint venture, as well as deceit. On Tuesday, Judge Xollie Duncan of Benton County court ruled that a joint venture did indeed exist between the two men, entitling Quinteros to half of the winnings. After taxes, Quinteros’ share amounts to $177,750.
Quinteros’ attorney, Aaron Cash, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. “We always believed our client was in a joint venture and are satisfied with the judge’s ruling,” Cash told the Democrat Gazette.
