The relationship between McDonald's and Simon Marketing broke down in a pair of lawsuits over breach of contract, eventually settled out of court, with the claim of McDonald's being thrown out and Simon receiving $16.6 million. Due to a constitutional violation, by which it was confirmed that they did not know Jacobson and thus did not know that the winning game pieces oddly given to them by Jacobson's recruiters were necessarily stolen, four of the "winners" convicted of fraud had their convictions reversed on appeal.