Houston, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/16/2015 --In an unusual case against justice, the New Mexico Lottery is – according to the plaintiff's lawyer – wrongfully denying a man the right to his winnings. The New Mexico Lottery has stated that the winnings, which total $500,625, will not be paid to the ticket holder, John Wines, due to a ticket misprint. Taking matters into his own hands after attempting to contact the New Mexico Lottery, Wines has hired civil action attorney Sam Bregman to help him sue the lottery. A KRQE News Story tells the tale of the lottery lawsuit of 2015 – the following provides a brief summary:

New Mexico Lottery Says it Misprinted Winning Ticket

The debacle over winnings occurred in early 2015 when Wines purchased a $20 Ruby 7 scratcher. The scratcher's rules work as such: players match numbers on their own ticket with the winning ticket – in the case of Wines, a number 1 and 2 were required to be matched. And, according to Wines' ticket, he had the numbers the winning ticket was looking for. Thrilled with the idea that he was the $500,000 winner, Wines took his winning ticket to the lottery to cash it in. However, he was told that the ticket had been misprinted, that there were numbers missing from the ticket, and that the lottery would be unable to honor it.

Wines Takes Action to Collect Lottery Winnings

Despite the fact the lottery initially turned Wines away, Wines didn't stop there; instead, he took a picture of his winning ticket and sent it in to the New Mexico Lottery offices. The lottery told Wines, once again, that the ticket had been misprinted and that the lottery would be unable to honor it. The lottery also pointed out that on the back of each lottery ticket, it reads, "Liability for void, altered, or misprinted tickets, or disputes, if any, is limited to the refund of the retail sales price." In other words, the lottery has claimed that all it owes to Mr. Wines is a $20 refund for the amount of money that he spent on the ticket in the first place.

Wines' Attorney Says More Compensation is Deserved

While the lottery's ticket disclaimers state that a refund for the ticket is all that the lottery is liable for in the event of a misprint, Mr. Bregman has pointed out that lottery players aren't allowed to read the back of the ticket until after a purchase has been made, potentially rendering the disclaimer void. What's more, says Bregman, the rules of the game are cut and dry – John Wines is a winner. The lawsuit is currently pending.

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