Is it Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers?

Channizard

Channizard

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Woman collects and finds Lottery Tickets from the trash to use for codes as secondary prizes on the internet for free subscriptions. When she enters in a code and it's invalid, she goes to check why, and finds that it's a million dollar winner.

680$ Thousand after taxes, and sharing her story of luck in the small town, Ms Sharon is now being FORCED to return the moneys to either the Cashier at the small store, or the original owner of the ticket. The Cashier tried to sue Sharon for saying that the ticket was her property by being in her trash, DESPITE a sign that says "help yourself to our tickets in the trash". Shortly after, a woman claimed to be the original owner, and joined in the lawsuit.

After an original ruling, Sharon is now being ordered to return the winnings to the original owner, however there is an appeal in the process.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47321157/ns/today-today_news/?ocid=todmsnbc11#.T6hHmlJRHTp


Quite frankly I think this is disgusting, and what greed does to people. I'd LIKE to say that I would do whatever I could to gain back the winnings in my own situation, but I grew up with the childish adage, and I DO think that as soon as you discard something, you relinquish any and all rights you have to said object. If I threw away half a sandwich and a homeless man went after it, I wouldn't beat him down because it was still mine. I THREW it AWAY.

Unfortunately, the court doesn't see it that way. But furthermore, is there any PROOF as to the original owner of the ticket? Could anyone have walked into that issue and claimed to be the owner, saying they threw it away for whatever reason? No, I think it's just some greedy cunt trying to weasel in on a situation where little evidence is needed. As soon as Sharon said she 'found the ticket in the trash' it opened up a whole barrel of monkeys for anyone to try and jump in on that and take the winnings away from her. She really should have just kept her mouth shut.
 
I'm not really sure how i feel about this.
In one case I think if you're an idiot and throw something away like a lotto ticket without even checking the numbers, and then someone else finds it, too bad for you. You were stupid enough to throw it in the trash, you've pretty much given permission to anyone who now finds it to keep it. But what if she dropped the ticket out her pocket, someone else found it and threw it in the bin? If someone has lost something by accident then I think it's pretty shit for you to pick it up and keep it.

But then how do you know if they lost it by accident or thew it out on purpose :S
 
Yeah I agree with Toni, if someone lost it in the first place and it accidentally ended up in the trash, that would suck :/

Why don't they split it? Just make everybody happy!
 
Well the argument of the woman is that she said she 'threw the ticket away after the checker said it wasn't a winner' she is admitting to say that she threw the ticket away, forfeiting ownership. Sure, if she said she LOST the ticket that's one thing, but again, anyone can try claim that. But when she admits to throwing it away, it's another.
 
But if her story about the 'checker' telling her it wasn't a winner is true then I think she should get the ticket back, it's not her fault she was told it was a dud. But then how can you tell if she's telling the truth? Hahaha I guess you can't.

It does sound like a bit of a stupid lie though
 
That's my issue with it. There was a HUGE controversy about ticket venders lying to people about winners and keeping the earnings, that's why they make sounds, and are self checkable now. So the story of 'the checker' malfunctioning when Sharon checked it herself and proved to be a winner is just grasping at straws I think. >_<
 
I follow this rule as a Gold one, i have a lot of things that i have found and if someone comes and ask it back then screw him.

And yes she trowed it away so she lost the ownership and so she doesnt have the right to claim the prize-
 
It is impossible to prove who originally owned the ticket, so that shouldn't have anything to do with it. The sign said help yourself to our thrown away tickets, how is this even a question? Also, here at least we, legally have to hand the tickets back after checking, plus a customer has three different ways of independently checking a ticket. Sharon should be allowed keep it, and if not, then no one should get any.
 
Frank Fontaine said:
It is impossible to prove who originally owned the ticket, so that shouldn't have anything to do with it. The sign said help yourself to our thrown away tickets, how is this even a question?
Click to expand...

For some reason I was thinking the lotto thing in the main post was an example and we were meant to be saying how we personally feel about the finders keepers rule. I think for sure that if it wound up in the bin and the bin said help yourself and there was no way of proving it accidentally found it's way in there that the woman who found it should keep it.
 
Wow, this is some serious stuff. I'd say what's her face has lost the rights to the ticket because she threw it out. That's pretty much it. Sharon found it and claimed it. But then again you do have the whole thing with the checker, but still, what's her face threw it out. Regardless of whether or not she was lied to or whatever, she still threw it out, thus losing the ownership of the ticket..... I wonder what happened with this case.... :hmmm:
 
I'm 50/50 on money. If someone just dropped it, I return it. If no one is around, its mine mine.

Phones, I'll contact someone on the phone's contact list that the owner lost their phone. This only happened once, and no one returned my calls, and my own phone charger couldn't charge that person's phone, so once it died, that was that.

Credit Cards, I destroy them, its probably better I find them than someone else who will probably charge the hell out of it. Like the above, this happened only once and recently.
 
Oooh what a situation to be in :lew: screw that

Depending on what i find i would return it. If i find money i dont bother handing it in because who the fuck goes looking to see if theres money. No chance. If its a wallet or a phone hoever i will hand them in or il check their contacts to see if i can find a relative or something who can take the phone for them. Ive done it before and it just feels like the right thing to do. I have a phone and im not a thief or hoarder. Though i wouldnt class it as theft.
The lottery situation is pretty wild. Part of me thinks well it was found in the trash so she threw it out and the other lassie got really lucky. Then you think of the flip sde of the coin and think well maybe she accidentally threw it away. Cant they just go halves on the money? Then everyone is a winner.
 
I'm going to go with that it is finders keepers, and my opinion is going to go in line with the law of property within the United Kingdom. If reasonable steps could be taken to find the original owner, then they should be take. Of course, with money it's highly complex because it's the word of one individual against another, you can't prove money doesn't belong to them, nor can they prove it does; I imagine the ticket has no point of reference and can't be traced, thus it is the same with the said ticket. There are an enumerate amount of people that would lie to obtain the ticket sadly, and no proof to establish an owner. If there was any reference that could link the ticket back to a specific individual then it should be returned, respectively. If there isn't then it should be the finders to keep.

If the original owner had deliberately removed the right to her ticket by throwing it in the bin then I don't believe she should have any right to it. It may be very unfortunate that she didn't realise she had won, but ignorance shouldn't be a defence. I'm surprised there was any claim to the original shop owner, anything like this that can't be resolved usually goes back to the state, or I presume, the lottery.
 
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