Woman files lawsuit, claims co-worker owes her half of $300,000 lottery prize



STUTTGART, Arkansas — An Arkansas woman has filed a lawsuit alleging her co-worker ran off with her half of a $300,000 lottery prize.

Leslie Underwood is also asking a judge to freeze part of the winnings until the dispute is settled.

Underwood filed the lawsuit Tuesday against Mandy Vanhouten, saying the women were friends and worked together as waitresses in Stuttgart.

The suit alleges their boss gave them several scratch-off tickets on Dec. 22, with the understanding the women would split any winnings, but that Vanhouten cashed in the winning ticket and never returned to work.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports it couldn't find a phone number for Vanhouten for comment.

The lawsuit asks a judge to put half the prize into a court-supervised bank account until he decides whether Underwood is entitled to the share.