Simpkins v Pays · Chester Assizes · 1955

Does the lodger get a share?

Short answer: Yes: the informal deal was binding.

The facts. A lodger, her landlady, and the landlady's granddaughter sent weekly entries to a newspaper fashion contest under the landlady's name, agreeing to share any win. One entry won. The landlady kept it all.

The ruling. Simpkins v Pays (1955): The court held there was a real deal to share the winnings, and ordered the landlady to pay the lodger one third.

The case was decided on 'mutuality.' It's now a common reference when lottery pools fall out.

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For fun, not legal advice.