Court case[1955] 1 WLR 975

Mrs Pays, her granddaughter and their lodger Simpkins regularly entered a Sunday newspaper fashion competition together. Each filled in a line; the entry went in Mrs Pays's name and the costs were shared informally. One week a line filled in by the granddaughter won a prize of 750 pounds. Mrs Pays received the prize and refused to share it. The lodger sued for one third.

Sellers J held that there was a legally binding agreement. The three had entered the competition as a joint enterprise, each contributing to the entry and expecting to share whatever it won. The fact that the arrangement was made at home and in a friendly way did not make it a social agreement without legal effect. The lodger was awarded one third of the prize.