CHICAGO (CN) - After hundreds of people paid $600 apiece to enter the American Fantasy Football League competition, the man who won it all says the league's operators admitted they didn't have the money to pay him the $60,000 grand prize, nor the $9,000 Waterford crystal trophy that went with it.
Jeff Gill sued Chicago Fantasy Sports dba American Fantasy Football League in Cook County Court.
He claims that the league's managers, Wade Golab and Robert Smolarczyk, took "entry fees from hundreds of fantasy football participants" and "guaranteed" the prizes.
Gill says that in 2009 he used his credits with Chicago Fantasy to pay a $600 "Gold level" entry fee into several "high stakes" fantasy football contests. He says he won $5,900 in prizes and a custom trophy, and then finished first in the championship playoffs for his division, winning the grand prize of $60,000.
Gill claims that because he beat out champions from other division levels as well, the league promised him a $9,000 Waterford crystal trophy.
Gill claims that he did get the $5,900 in prizes, but never got the trophies or the check for $60,000. He claims the defendants promised to mail him the check in February this year.
But Golab finally admitted that Chicago Fantasy "did not have the funds to pay him the Grand Prize and other prizes," Gill says.
Gill seeks treble damages for violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, common law fraud and breach of contract.
He is represented by Jack Haan with Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat, Filipowski & Eccleston.
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