|
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (AP) - A man who held an essay contest to give away his ocean-view house, but sold it instead after collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars from entrants, has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle a class action lawsuit, records show.
Ben Waldrep has agreed to turn over $600,000 to $650,000 from a bank account that Superior Court Judge Andria Richey froze last year, according to a letter that contest entrants received this week.
Richey barred Waldrep from accessing the account when he tried to withdraw a large amount of money days after a jury found that he had committed fraud and ordered him to repay $1.8 million in entry fees and interest to the contestants.
|