A Mega Millions lottery jackpot winner, known as John Doe,in court documents, is facing a lawsuit for allegedly reneging on his promise to share his $1.35 billion windfall with his family.
John Doe hit the jackpot, winning a staggering $1.35 billion. After taxes, he collected a lump sum payment of approximately $500 million. However, the joy of this monumental win soon turned sour.
The incident occurred when Sara Smith, the mother of Doe's daughter, was sued by Doe after she broke a non-disclosure agreement by revealing his win to his family.
This marked the beginning of a complex legal battle, with new court documents further complicating the situation.
Doe's father, a former police chief now in his 70s, claimed in a sworn declaration that his son misled him about the lottery win.
According to the latest court filings, Doe himself informed his father and stepmother about his lottery win, contradicting his previous claims.
He said: 'I made the mistake of telling my father that I had won the lottery without having him sign a confidentiality agreement"
Doe revealed that his relationship deteriorated quickly thereafter.
On May 10, Doe's attorneys filed a motion for sanctions against Smith, accusing her of trying to publicly expose his identity. They also alleged that she made false claims about his conduct following the win, including an alleged 'kidnapping' of their daughter, which Doe vehemently denies.
In response, Smith presented a sworn affidavit from Doe's father, in which he chastised his son for not keeping his word after the lottery win.
Doe admitted in the court papers that he made a mistake by telling his father about the win without having him sign a confidentiality agreement.
He said: 'February or March of 2023, my son came to my house in [REDACTED], and informed me and my wife that he won a large amount of money in the Maine State Lottery.
'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 alleged that Doe promised to build him a garage, buy him cars to fix up, and even purchase the house where Doe had lived with his parents during his childhood.
Additionally, Doe allegedly promised to set up a $1 million trust fund for his father and provide 24-hour care for his parents should they ever need it.
The father also revealed that Doe insisted that neither he nor his wife have any communication with Smith, the mother of their grandchild.
After expressing his disappointment in the person his son had become, Doe's father claimed that his son became angry and cut off all communication with him.
Smith's lawyers argue that Doe originally filed the suit to keep his lottery win a secret from his family and to punish Smith after she rejected him.
They claim that Doe is using his newfound wealth to overwhelm Smith with expensive litigation and extort concessions.
