Winner of mega £1.1bn lotto jackpot sues daughter's mum for telling his parents
A lottery winner is suing the mother of his child for telling his parents he had won a massive prize.
The unidentified male winner won a life-changing and eye-watering $1.35 billion in January. Afterward, she signed a non-disclosure agreement to keep the prize quiet. The man is now suing the woman for a six-figure sum after supposedly telling his family about his winnings. The man, named as 'John Doe,' won the Mega Millions jackpot with numbers 30, 43, 45, 46 and 61 and a gold Mega Ball of 14.
From Lebanon, Maine, the winner took a one-time payment of $723,564,144, which was subject to taxes that left them with a touch over $500 million. It would have made a difference of over $50 million if the winner had bought the ticket in New Hampshire just one mile away.
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The winner took a one-time payment of $723,564,144 (Getty Images)After the win, the woman named as 'Sarah Smith' signed a non-disclosure agreement on February 8 to keep Doe's name quiet until June 1, 2032, when their daughter turns 18. "Due to the unique safety, security, and privacy concerns associated with winning the lottery, Defendant agreed to enter into a Non-Disclosure Agreement (“NDA”) with John Doe to promote the safety and security of John Doe, Defendant, and their daughter and to avoid the irreparable harm of allowing the media or the public in general to discover, inter alia, John Doe’s identity, physical location, and assets," the suit filing said.
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The lawsuit says Smith told his parents over one or more phone calls and that she should have told Doe of any "intentional or inadvertent disclosure." The suit added: "As a result of Defendant’s unauthorized disclosures, John Doe has suffered irreparable injury, and there is immediate and imminent danger that John Doe will continue to suffer irreparable injury for which there is no adequate remedy at law."
Doe is asking the court to put an injunction on Smith to stop her from revealing the information to more people.
Such a change in fortunes can be difficult for people according to one lawyer who has represented a number of lottery winners over the years. Andrew Stoltmann says a number of challenges suddenly face jackpot winners, including family members asking for cash and "Saying 'no’ to family might be the toughest thing that lottery winners have to do," Stoltmann said.
First, lottery winners should gather together the relevant money experts including financial advisors and tax professionals. An attorney or two also wouldn't go amiss.
"Lottery winners historically are from lower socio-economic backgrounds,” Stoltmann told CNBC. "They don’t have the experience managing money or establishing the financial team."
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