Recently, the story of a server who received a $10 million lottery ticket as a tip, took an unexpected turn when she faced a lawsuit from her restaurant staff and became a victim of kidnapping.
In 1999, Tonda was working at a Waffle House restaurant in Grand Bay, Alabama, when a regular customer named Edward Seward gave lottery tickets to five employees on the day of a significant draw.
Out of the three people who opened their envelopes on that day, none of them had the winning ticket.
The next day, two additional employees, including Tonda, opened their envelopes and she suddenly realized that her life was about to undergo a profound transformation.
She had won an astonishing $10 million.
The news rapidly circulated among the Waffle House staff, who had previously made an arrangement to divide any winnings. However, Tonda had her own intentions.
Instead of sharing her newfound wealth, Tonda decided to take $375,000 annually over 30 years.
This decision didn't sit well with her coworkers, who felt betrayed and decided to take her to court, claiming she had broken their verbal agreement.
However, the court ruled in Tonda's favor, stating that there was no official contract between them.
The man who had given her the winning ticket, Edward, also wanted a piece of the pie.
He claimed that if any Waffle House employees won, they were obligated to buy him a new pickup truck. However, the judge dismissed his claim before it even reached trial.
Remarkably, just days after the legal battles, Tonda's ex-husband, Stacy Martin, allegedly attempted to kidnap her.
With a handgun in hand, he stopped her from answering her phone until she could wrestle the gun away and shoot him in the chest.
Surprisingly, no charges were pressed against anyone involved in this incident.
Adding to her already difficult situation, Tonda's decision not to share her wealth as agreed caught the IRS's notice.
She had created a small company named '9Mill,' which led the IRS to send her a bill for unpaid federal gift taxes.
In 2012, a court determined that she owed $1,119,347 in taxes but permitted her to keep the rest of her winnings.
