At least three people now claim ownership of a lottery ticket that an Arizona Circle K manager claims he bought after it had already won $12.8 million.
New court filings show that the big-winning ticket was printed for a customer, now identified as Soonchun Kim, on Nov. 24, 2025 when she went to the Circle K in Phoenix to check her numbers for “the Pick.”
Kim ordered $60 worth of new tickets — but 85 were printed with her chosen numbers, with “some of the tickets [falling] behind the printer,” according to the latest filings in the case bought by Circle K to rule on who should get the windfall.
When store manager Robert Gawlitza learned a winning ticket had been sold there, he dug out the other printed tickets — and found the one that matched the winning numbers of 3, 13, 14, 15, 19 and 26, the lawsuit said.
Gawlitza then clocked out and removed his Circle K uniform to buy the winning ticket for $10, according to the complaint viewed by the Phoenix New Times, which suggests he was trying to avoid Arizona Lottery rules barring vendors from buying tickets while on the job.
Gawlitza gor fellow Circle K staffer Marline Ybarra to sign the back of the ticket — which Ybarra now claims makes her also entitled to collect a stake in the $12.8 million winnings.
Gawlitza and Ybarra are both being represented by the same attorney, who did not respond to requests for comment nor say if the pair reached an agreement to share the windfall, the New Times said.
Kim would not say if she is also going to fight for her claim of the ticket printed using her numbers, the paper said. The judge required that she be found and brought into court before issuing a final decision.
The court suspended the 180-day deadline typically imposed on lottery winners to claim the prize until the judge can determine rightful ownership.
Circle K is seeking clarification on whether the ticket was properly sold, who actually owns it, who can claim the prize and whether the convenience store chain will be able to avoid liability if it abides by the judge’s eventual ruling.
Arizona retailers earn a 6.5% commission on lottery sales from their stores, according to the Arizona Lottery.
Businesses that sell a jackpot-winning ticket for in-state draw games, including “The Pick,” are eligible for an incentive, with a $10,000 reward for top prizes over $1 million.