A judge has ruled a man’s claim on raffle winnings was doomed by the fact that, though he possessed the winning ticket, another person’s name was written on the selected stub. Frank Paz sued the Western Long Island Detachment of the Marine Corps League, claiming he was the rightful winner of a 50/50 raffle offering a $1,400 prize. As he assisted the organization in sales for the November 2011 raffle, Paz bought one ticket numbered 0039. When that number was called, he went to pick up his winnings, only to discover another man’s name was on the stub.
Paz said he was told at the time to "let this go for now and we’ll make it right" at the organization’s next meeting. But after the meeting, the detachment’s commandant, Len Goldstein, told Paz he would not be getting any money. Paz filed a small claims action against the group, Goldstein and another official. The group’s treasurer testified there was "a lot of confusion" the day the raffle occurred. Paz said if the organization made a mistake, it had to incur the loss. But Nassau County District Court Judge Gary Knobel (See Profile) disagreed, as he dismissed Paz v. Goldstein, SC-003044-12.
