Plenty of people think professional athletes earn too much money, but former newspaper carrier Mark Guthrie probably isn't among them. While working for the Hartford Courant, Guthrie received payments intended for another Mark Guthrie employed by the Tribune Company — in this case, a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. The payroll mistake resulted in the poorer Guthrie getting a $301,000 boost to his bank account.
When the company recouped $275,000 of that sum, Guthrie froze his account and informed the Tribune Co. that the rest would be returned when they ensured him that he would receive his own salary — and that the snafu wouldn't force him to contend with tax snags stemming from the overpayment. Instead, Tribune lawyers sued him for the rest of the money.