Finder’s keepers? That’s what one former Circle K manager thought when he bought a $12.8 million lottery ticket before he was fired over it. But he says he was just following company policy. Robert Gawlitza was fired by Circle K after he bought a customer’s winning lottery ticket back in No vember. He responded to a complaint filed by Circle K on Friday. Atlanta Black Star spoke with his attorney, Josh Kolsrud. “There’s been a lot of roller coasters,” Kolsrud said, referring to the case. He also shared multiple court documents detailing what happened. Robert Gawlitza lost his job after he bought a winning lottery ticket from the Circle K location he works at in Arizona. (Photo Credit: AZCentral) What Happened? In November 2025, Soonchun Kim, another employee, went into the Scottsdale, Arizona, store to purchase $85 worth of lottery tickets. But when she realized she had only $60, the clerk left the remaining tickets for other customers to buy. No one did. When Gawlitza came into work the next day, he was working on settling the accounts from the day before when he found the tickets. They were for the drawing from the day before, and one of them turned out to be a winner. Kolsrud said Circle K had an unofficial policy requiring employees to buy accidentally printed lottery tickets valued at over $20. This helps the business penalize workers for accidental prints. Kolsrud said Gawlitza was told about the unofficial policy by his district manager. He added that it’s something “everyone at Circle K does.” “The bottom line here is he bought the tickets. He paid for them,” Kolsrud said. “He got a receipt. It was rung up by a Circle K employee on duty.” Kolsrud said Gawlitza notified the Circle K about what happened and turned over the ticket, allowing them to investigate how he got it. The only policy Circle K has when it comes to employees playing the lottery is that they cannot do it while on duty. Kolsrud said Gawlitza clocked out and bought the tickets to ensure he wasn’t bending the rules. Circle K Learns How Much the Ticket is Worth But once the company realized how much the ticket was worth, they shifted their position, the attorney argues. “They only changed their minds once he said, well, the winning ticket was $12.8 million,” Kolsrud said. The attorney said the company took ownership of the ticket until the issue could be resolved. The Arizona Lottery is also holding onto the jackpot. All prize amounts must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing, according to the lottery’s website. The 180th day was May 23, but the court suspended the deadline on May 15th. The lottery agreed to hold onto the money until the dispute is settled. “Circle K told Robert that he had done nothing wrong,” Kolsrud said. “And Robert had no reason to believe his job was in peril.” Gawlitza and the clerk who sold him the ticket, Marline Ybarra, signed the back of the lottery ticket, claiming ownership. But two months later, things started to change for Gawlitza. “The corporate management came into Robert’s store, sat him down and fired him for ‘violating policy,’’” Kolsrud said. Circle K told Gawlitza he was out of a job because he bought a winning lottery ticket left behind by a customer — but he said he was just following policy. Legal Battle Begins Circle K filed a lawsuit soon afterward, asking the Maricopa County Superior Court to decide who gets the winning ticket. Kolsrud sent a copy to Atlanta Black Star. Circle K told PEOPLE Magazine that it wasn’t targeting Gawlitza or any specific person. “It is a declaratory judgment complaint filed to seek clarity from the court to determine rightful ownership of this lottery ticket,” the statement said. Both Gawlitza and Ybarra are claiming ownership of the ticket according to the complaint. It doesn’t appear Kim has tried to claim ownership. “As a result of these events, uncertainty exists as to whether the Ticket was ever validly sold, who, if anyone, lawfully owns the Ticket, and who is entitled to any prize proceeds associated with the Ticket,” the complaint said. Circle K asked the court to decide who is entitled to the ticket and what the company must do if someone is entitled to the ticket. The company also asked to be awarded court fees. Per Arizona state policy, “If a retailer accepts a returned draw game ticket from a player or generates a draw game ticket refused by the player and the retailer does not resell the ticket, the Lottery shall deem the draw game ticket to be owned by the retailer.” Kolsrud reiterated that Gawlitza was just following what he thought was company policy. “Robert devoted approximately 20 years of his career to Circle K. He maintains that he followed the very procedures the company trained its employees to follow, yet after the ticket proved to be the jackpot winner, he lost his job and found his integrity publicly questioned,” Kolsrud said. The attorney said that potential employers only see him as “the one that tried to claim that lottery ticket” after doing an internet search. “I never hear anything,” Gawlitza told KTAR. “So, it’s been real hard on my family. My wife’s been the only one really bringing in the income to help support my family.” Gawlitza reportedly started at Circle K as a cashier, but worked his way up to store manager. He told KTAR he plans to ask for his job back once the legal battle settles. Kolsrud said he wants to go back to Circle K because he genuinely enjoyed working there. “For Robert, this case is about more than the money — it is about clearing his name and having the court determine that he acted honestly and in accordance with Circle K’s own policies,” Kolsrud said. ‘More Than the Money’: Former Circle K Manager Fired Over Winning Lottery Ticket, But His Lawyer Says He Was Following Company Policy ...read more read less