VANCOUVER — A British Columbia man is taking the province's lottery agency to court, saying he is the rightful winner of a $50 million jackpot handed out earlier this month.
George Wilson-Tagoe says in a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme court this week that he purchased the ticket from a gas station on his way to work on March 11, 2014.
He says he scanned the ticket, noticed an unusual pattern, and then lost it, possibly throwing it in the trash with old tickets.
The B.C. Lottery Corporation awarded the massive prize to Friedrich Mayrhofer on Dec. 15, nearly two years after the March 2014 Lotto Max draw.
Mayrhofer said earlier this month that the delay in coming forward was due to his family being private and concerned they wouldn't be able to handle the money.
The allegations contained in Wilson-Tagoe's lawsuit have not been proven in court.
The lottery corporation did not immediately respond to requests for comment and Mahrhofer could not be immediately reached to comment on the allegations.