The winner of the Mega Millions lottery jackpot worth more than $1 billion has been accused in a lawsuit of lying about sharing his winnings with his family.
The lucky gambler, known only as John Doe in court documents, won $1.35 billion and collected the lump sum payment of approximately $500 million after taxes.
He then sued his daughter’s mother, named Sara Smith in court papers, after she broke a confidentiality agreement by telling her family about her victory.
Now, a new batch of court documents first reported by The daily beast They have complicated things even more.
The winner’s father, a former police chief who is now 70, wrote in an affidavit that his son deceived him after telling him about his lottery win.
The lucky player won $1.35 million and collected a lump sum payout of approximately $500 million after taxes after purchasing the ticket at Hometown Gas & Grill, seen here, in Lebanon Maine.
In the latest court papers, Smith says Doe himself told his father and stepmother about his lottery win, which his attorneys say “destroys the remaining fragments of this lawsuit.”
In the latest court papers, Smith says Doe himself told his father and stepmother about his lottery win, which his attorneys say “destroys the remaining fragments of this lawsuit.”
On May 10, Doe’s attorneys filed a motion for sanctions against Smith arguing that she had attempted to publicly expose her identity.
The lawyers also claimed that she made false claims about his conduct after the victory, including an attempt to supposedly “kidnap” his daughter, which he insists is not true.
Smith responded with a sworn statement from Doe’s father, during which his father scolded his son for not keeping his word after winning the lottery.
Doe said in the newspapers: “I made the mistake of telling my father that I had won the lottery without him signing a confidentiality agreement.”
‘Our relationship deteriorated rapidly thereafter. I didn’t tell her what I was doing with my money, how it was going to benefit my daughter, or any information other than the simple fact that she had won.’
His father said his son had deceived him about several things since the big victory.
His statement reads: ‘In February or March 2023, my son came to my home in (REDACTED) and informed me and my wife that he had won a large amount of money in the Maine State Lottery.
‘I understand that my son has stated that he did not tell me anything about his money ‘other than the simple fact that he had won.’ That is not true.
A customer shops at Hometown Gas & Grill, where the ticket was sold in Lebanon, Maine.
Hometown Gas & Grill owner Fred Cotreau poses for a photo in his store last January after winning
‘He told me that he was going to build me a garage and that he would buy me some cars to fix them up. He knew that he used to enjoy working and repairing old cars.
‘He also told me that he wanted to buy us the house he had lived in with me and his mother (my previous wife) when he was young.
“He said, ‘Find out what they want for it and I’ll pay you double,’ or words to that effect. This is not something my current wife and I would want to do.”
The father claims his son told him he would create a $1 million trust fund for him and that would allow him to have a monthly income.
On top of that, their father claims he said he would provide them with 24-hour care if they ever needed it to prevent them from having to go to a nursing home.
The father said his son had insisted that neither he nor his stepmother have any communication with Smith.
He continues: ‘Smith is our granddaughter’s mother and we have had a good relationship with her over the years.
“I thought she was a good mother and we didn’t want to turn our backs on him like he insisted.”
Their father claims he said he would provide them with 24-hour care if they ever needed it to prevent them from having to go to a nursing home.
After the father told his son that he didn’t recognize the person he had become, he said his son “got angry, calling me a dictator and an asshole,” adding, “I haven’t heard from my son since.” . , and he has not done any of the things that he promised.’
Meanwhile, Smith claimed in the newspapers that Doe has a security team that has been following her and monitoring her electronic devices.
She said: “I often hear a clicking noise when I am on calls, including calls with my lawyers, and I have had several unexplained calls cut off.”
Smith also claims that Doe ‘kidnapped’ her daughter and took her out of state for weeks, but claims she has joint custody of her daughter.
Doe also claimed Smith agreed he could take the girl on vacation and claimed he had kidnapped her after refusing to pay for her and her boyfriend to go on a “dream vacation” to Disney World.
Smith’s lawyers say he originally filed the lawsuit “because he didn’t want his own family to know he won the lottery and was motivated to punish her after she rejected him.”
His lawyer claims he is using his new wealth to “try to overwhelm” Smith with costly litigation to “extort concessions.”
Doe beat odds of 1 in 302.6 million to win the $1.35 billion jackpot – the second-largest Mega Millions prize in history and the fourth-largest in U.S. history.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, plus Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands.
