'I bought £9.5m lottery ticket but got fired instead and haven't seen a penny'

'I bought £9.5m lottery ticket but got fired instead and haven't seen a penny' Robert Gawlitza says he is now fighting to restore his reputation after he lost his job at a convenience shop in America after purchasing a lottery ticket he knew was worth millions A man at the centre of a legal battle over a $12.8million (approx £9.5m) lottery ticket has said his reputation has been “run through the mud” — and he is now relying on his wife to pay the bills after getting fired. Robert Gawlitza worked for convenience store chain Circle K for 17 years and his life changed dramatically one morning in November last year after arriving for his shift in Phoenix, Arizona. The day before, a woman, named Kim in court papers, purchased $85 (£63) worth of The Pick lottery tickets, but only had $60 (£44) in cash. One of the tickets she was not allowed to take home happened to be worth millions, and it sat by the register all night before Robert checked it the following morning. Realising it was a winner, he claimed he followed his company rules by clocking out temporarily, which involved removing his uniform, before asking a cashier to sell him the ticket for $10, a transaction he believes he was entitled to make. He also claimed he got authorisation from his boss to do it. And according to his lawyer, Josh Kolsrud, Circle K has an “unofficial policy forcing its employees to purchase accidentally printed lottery tickets”. However, Robert said Circle K demanded he give the lucky ticket back, which he did, before he was supposedly later fired. The ownership of the ticket is now the subject of ongoing litigation, and it remains unknown who, if anyone, will end up $12.8million richer. Now, before a possible jury trial next year, Robert spoke with former gas station attendant Timothy Schultz who famously once won £23million and now discusses all things lottery on his YouTube channel. And talking on the channel about getting fired, Robert said: “During that time I was off the clock, I wasn’t paid. I’m not on salary. I am on hourly pay, so I don’t understand how I was supposed to still be on the clock at that time. “I felt a little bit betrayed and hurt because all these years I’ve always followed the guidelines and the rules of the store and the company. And that’s all I’m trying to do is clear my name. I did the right thing that day. I followed their rules and their policies. And instead I’ve been thrown under the bus.” He also spoke about the impact of the job loss and confirmed that he has not been able to secure a permanent position elsewhere. Robert added that ever since the termination, his wife has been paying all the bills. He also said he was only one of three people in America with Gawlitza as a surname and that potential employers are put off after Googling him, with some asking him whether he was the person with the lawsuit issue, before informing him they had found someone else for the position. Timothy asked him whether the legal fight was about getting $12.8million richer or whether it was about his reputation, or even both. He replied: “For Circle K I feel it’s about the money. For myself, I think it’s my name. I don’t want to tarnish my father’s name. I feel like it’s been run through the mud right now. Whenever someone hears the last name, Gawlitza, this is what they’re going to think of. That upsets me, because I’m an honourable man. I work very hard. That’s how I was raised by my parents. “And for me to be betrayed, like I did some horrific thing wrong. You know, that hurts, you know, because I follow the rules. I was compliant that whole day.” As for how he was coping now, he said he was praying a lot and spending time with his family. He also said they were trying to get through each month as it comes and that he is still having difficulty finding jobs, despite continuing to apply. And as for one thing he hopes people will understand about the situation, he explained: “I was just following the corporate policies. I was doing the right thing that day. “Like I do every other day when I worked for the company for 17 years. I didn’t do anything different. The only thing that was different that day from the past 17 years is that it was a winning lottery ticket.” Asked what he would do with the money if a court eventually determined that the ticket belonged to him, he concluded with a laugh: “I’m not even thinking about the money, honestly, so the money’s the furthest thing from my mind.” Circle K meanwhile maintains that the ticket belongs to the company as it was printed at its register and was left unsold because ‘Kim’ was unable to pay the right amount of cash.