A Cork teenager has been awarded €5,000 in damages after a post mistress refused to cash a lottery ticket worth £2 (€2.54).
Ms Ciara Morgan (14), Mount Nebo Avenue, Gurranabraher, sued the owner of the Gurranabraher post office at Cork Circuit Civil Court yesterday for defamation. Ms Morgan had been told by the post mistress, Ms Colette O'Connell, that the ticket had already been cashed. Ms O'Connell denied saying this.
On July 5th, 2001, Ms Sheila Morgan sent her then 11-year-old daughter, Ciara, to the shop. She also handed her a lottery ticket with three £2 amounts on it.
The girl presented the ticket at the post office. She said the assistant went to the back of the shop and the post-mistress came out. She said Ms O'Connell asked her what had happened to the ticket and told her that it had already been cashed. Ms O'Connell held on to the ticket.
Ms Sheila Morgan said her daughter told her "the lady in the post office has accused me that the ticket has been cashed already". A short time later Ms Sheila Morgan called to the post office. She said she was also told the ticket had been cashed.
Ms O'Connell rang Dublin and established the ticket was valid. Ms Sheila Morgan said she was offered £2 or a new lottery ticket, and opted for the former.
Ms O'Connell denied telling the girl the ticket had been cashed. She said two serial numbers on the back of the card were missing. "I said to her I couldn't pay out on that because of the condition that it's in." She took the ticket from the girl as she said it couldn't be cashed anywhere else. She said once she rang Dublin the two missing digits were found and she was told she could pay out on the ticket. She said she apologised to Ms Sheila Morgan for keeping her and asked her how she would like to collect on the ticket.
Ms Morgan said the incident had a very bad effect on both her and her daughter. She said no apology had been given.
Judge Seán O'Donnabháin said the matter was badly handled by the post office and that Ciara Morgan gave a more credible account of what happened. He awarded the 14-year-old €5,000 plus costs.