Lottery winner of $1.35bn caught in legal dispute with family members | US News
A man who won a $1.35 billion lottery prize is reportedly in a legal dispute with his own family.
The Mega Millions winner, from the US state of Maine, secured the fourth-largest jackpot in US history last year, valued at around £1.07 billion.
According to The Daily Beast, the man is now engaged in legal proceedings with two family members after suing his daughter’s mother for supposedly divulging his newfound wealth to other family members, violating a non-disclosure agreement.
Reportedly, the lottery winner is seeking substantial penalties, claiming that his child’s mother disclosed his big win to his father, sister, and stepmother.
However, the woman countered in recent court filings that the man himself informed his father and stepmother about the win, thereby undermining the lawsuit, as per The Daily Beast.
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The lottery winner’s father, who remains unnamed, has now joined the legal battle, alleging that his son misled him about various matters post-winning.
“I understand that my son has stated that he told me nothing about his money ‘other than the simple fact that I had won.’ That is not true,” he stated in a declaration.
According to The Daily Beast, the father claimed that his son discussed plans to use the money, such as building a new garage for him and purchasing old cars to restore, despite never requesting anything from him.