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A bitter dispute involving a customer, a convenience store manager and an employee is unraveling in Arizona as multiple parties await a judge's determination on who rightfully purchased the lucky $13million lottery ticket.
A Circle K Store in Scottsdale filed a civil lawsuit in the Maricopa County Superior Court in February, asking a judge to decide who gets to walk away with the life-changing prize money.
An amended complaint filed on Tuesday and obtained by the Arizona Republic said that a customer, identified as Soonchun Kim, purchased the ticket on November 24 of last year.
Kim purchased $60 worth of tickets, but the cashier, identified as Marline Ybarra, accidentally printed $85 worth of tickets, according to the complaint.
Ybarra then left the extra $25 worth of tickets beside the register and some fell behind the printer.
Later that night, the Arizona Lottery drew the winning numbers: 03, 13, 14, 15, 19 and 26.
The store's manager, Robert Gawlitza, allegedly learned that one of the winning tickets was generated at the Circle K.
The complaint states that Gawlitza clocked out of work, took off his uniform, and purchased the unsold tickets.
A Circle K in Scottsdale, Arizona, has become embroiled in controversy as a judge has been tasked with determining who scored a winning $13million ticket
A complaint filed in the Maricopa County Superior Court stated that a store manager allegedly knew about a winning ticket before purchasing it
Ybarra and Gawlitza both signed the backs of the tickets and are now claiming a stake in the prize money.
The dispute stems from lottery rules stating that printed but unsold tickets belong to the vendor, meaning Circle K would have been entitled to the $13million prize money.
However, since Gawlitza purchased the ticket off-duty and Ybarra signed it, the ownership of the millions has become complicated.
It is also unclear if Kim knew the additional tickets had been printed and when they 'fell behind the printer.'
Kim has not said whether she intends to argue for a stake in the prize money. She did not elaborate when asked whether she would press for the ticket when approached by the Phoenix New Times.
Lottery officials have confirmed the validity of the winning ticket, according to the amended complaint.
The court has suspended the 180-day deadline for claiming the prize money while the litigation continues.
Circle K filed the original claim in February. Representatives for the convenience store appeared in court in May to show cause for the lawsuit, according to the court docket. Judge Joseph Kreamer is presiding over the case.
Printed but unsold tickets are typically awarded to the vendor; however, a store manager has claimed that he did buy the winning ticket
The Daily Mail has reached out to Circle K and the Arizona Lottery for comment. A spokesperson for the law firm representing Circle K said they do not comment on pending litigation.
The Daily Mail has also reached out to a lawyer representing Gawlitza and attempted to contact Ybarra for comment.
Contact information for Kim was not immediately available. Kim and Ybarra appear to be representing themselves in the case.
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