Notre Dame tips caterer $29,387 rather an $29.87. Wants $$ back, caterer spent $$

[Liberal_in_LA]

Notre Dame: Typo leads to over $29,000 tip for ex-worker

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A woman who worked catering events for the University of Notre Dame says it was her lucky day when the school tipped her $29,000 in her check. But now the university is suing to get back the money she says she's already spent.

Sara Gaspar of Granger says in court documents filed this week that she "thought finally something wonderful had happened" in her life when the school paid her a $29,387 tip on April 17. She said in court documents that she called the school's catering department three times about the payment, but didn't hear back until she received a threatening call from the school in June.

Gaspar says by that point, she had spent the money on a new car and bills.

Notre Dame contends Gaspar should have been paid only $29.87, but was overpaid because of a typing error. The school says in a lawsuit filed Aug. 27 in St. Joseph Circuit Court in South Bend that Gaspar did not notify the school about the error, and instead spent the money knowing it wasn't hers.

Gaspar says by that point, she had spent the money on a new car and bills.

----------------------------------

Gaspar, who no longer works for the school, says she suffers from depression and is frightened by the prospect of taking on a "power" like Notre Dame.

"If this was a mistake it was their mistake," Gaspar says in court documents. "Now I am paying for their mistake."


http://www.komonews.com/news/offbeat/59497907.html

[subcomhd]

1. She made repeated attempts to clear it up. I say it's her's. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. If the attempts were really made...

[joeybee12]

6. Yeah, I tend to doubt she did...you gotta be a complete idiot not

to know this was an error and that it would eventually be noticed...if I had to choose sides, I'd say she's lying.

[subcomhd]

16. If anyone owes the school the money,

it's the fuck-up that made the error when they cut the check.

[treestar]

3. I wouldn't be suffering from depression in that event

No seriously, but I still would feel wrong about it and would just send it back.

[stray cat]

4. So far what has she paid for their mistake - she got a 30,000 bonus!

[virgogal]

5. Oh now she's "depressed" ? Words fail me.

[Uben]

7. Wait till she has to repay with interest!

Then she will really be depressed!

[democracy1st]

8. lol she knows dayum well that wasn't her tip

[zbdent]

9. "I'm sorry ... I can't pay back the money I conned people out of

because I spent it ..."

[Lex]

10. how do you figure she "conned" it from Notre Dame?

nt

[zbdent]

12. Sorry ... I should have said it better ...

like saying something about "heard during Enron" or something like that ...

:evilgrin:

[anonymous171]

11. Too fucking bad. Maybe they should have responded to her after she first call. nt

[AngryOldDem]

14. $29,000 is a drop in the bucket to a place like ND.

What with all the endowments, etc., it has.

If it wanted the money so badly, they should have collected when she was trying to make things right. Now, it's finder's keepers, IMHO.

[GrantDem]

13. Hopefully she can somehow prove the phonecalls.

If she can then too bad for ND.

[geek_sabre]

15. dumb

"If this was a mistake it was their mistake," Gaspar says in court documents. "Now I am paying for their mistake."

You wouldn't be paying anything if you hadn't been spending like Paris Hilton on a bender when you discovered "free money." $30K in 3 months? Really???!?

My guess is she called 3 times over a weekend, and didn't specify the exact amount when she contacted the school. If the intended tip was $30, then the total bill was around $150-300. On what planet is it customary to tip nearly 1000% of the total bill? She thought she would get over, plain and simple.

[BlooInBloo]

17. She did her due diligence. It's hers.