A nursery nurse has unexpectedly dropped a High Court claim against a Bradford school's lottery syndicate which froze her out of a £3.9 million jackpot.
Michelle Neale missed out on a £141,706 payout when the 27-strong syndicate of teachers and support staff at Thackley First School scooped their giant win in July 1997.
Syndicate members said she was not entitled to a share as her line of numbers had been dropped from the winning ticket because she had fallen behind in payments of her weekly £1 stake when she was off work sick.
Mrs Neale, of Wibsey, Bradford, started legal proceedings - backed by legal aid - against the syndicate members and eventually lodged a High Court claim for a share of the cash.
But only a fortnight before the case was due to come to trial Mrs Neale has abandoned her claim.
Her decision was today met with a mixture of relief and anger by syndicate members who had spent a significant amount of money defending the claim, said their solicitor Chris Charlesworth, litigation partner at Ford & Warren solicitors in Leeds.
"They believe Mrs Neale abandoned her claim because she recognised she had no realistic prospect of success," he said.
"And they think her decision to issue a High Court claim at public expense was a cynical attempt to put unfair pressure on the syndicate to make a financial settlement because of the alternative of incurring substantial legal costs.
"They are relieved at the outcome of the case, which has been extremely stressful, and want to record their anger and frustration that Mrs Neale was able to pursue a hopeless case at public expense."
Mrs Neale was not available for comment today. Her decision to withdraw the High Court claim includes an agreement that the syndicate will not pursue her for the recovery of legal costs or bring a civil claim for defamation.
"They don't feel any sympathy for Mrs Neale," Mr Charlesworth added.
"She had her chance to play in the syndicate and didn't take it. To then accuse them of wrong doing was very hurtful."
In an interview with the Telegraph & Argus in December 1998 Mrs Neale admitted she was not fully paid up into the syndicate, which had no written contract, when the winning numbers were drawn.
But she disputed the fact she was eight weeks in arrears and claimed she had sent cheques to the school with her sick notes.
The 27 members of the syndicate each received £146,954.
The school syndicate - made up of teachers, support assistants, dinner ladies and caretakers - had been running since the National Lottery was started in 1995.
After their win the 27 members were expected to consider their future employment, but they all returned two months later for the start of the new term.
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