$1.3B Mega Millions Jackpot Win Causing Rift in Maine Family

The “lottery curse” seems to be exerting its harmful influence on the recipient of Maine’s largest lottery jackpot, damaging the relationships among the winner, his parents, and the mother of his child.

The anonymous $1. 35 billion Mega Millions jackpot recipient is taking legal action against his ex, alleging that she disclosed the win to his parents without his permission.

In response, his former partner has countered against her affluent accuser, accusing him of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the winner’s father asserts that he is “not the son I knew. ”

Doe vs. Smith

The previous couple are identified in legal documents by the pseudonyms “John Doe” and “Sara Smith,” respectively. This is due to Maine's policy that permits lottery winners to maintain anonymity.

Doe filed a lawsuit against Smith in November 2023, alleging that she breached a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) by informing his father and stepmother about his winnings.

The NDA was established to “promote the safety and security of John Doe, defendant, and their daughter and to avoid the irreparable harm of allowing the media or public, in general, to discover” their identities and physical location, as stated in the lawsuit.

Doe seeks a court order that forbids Smith from revealing any additional information regarding the jackpot. He has also requested the court to require Smith to enumerate every individual she informed and to pay compensatory damages of “an amount to be determined at trial, but no less than $100K per unauthorized disclosure. ”

Rift Deepens

In recently submitted documents for the case, both Smith and the man’s father assert that Doe himself revealed the win to his parents. Doe further requested that his father cease communication with Smith, resulting in a divide between the two men.

“I told him… ‘You are not the son I knew,’” claimed the father in court documents. “He got angry, calling me a ‘dictator’ and an ‘a***hole.’ I have not heard from my son since, and he has not done any of [the] things he promised.”

Smith asserts in a recent court document that Doe has engaged a security team that purportedly trails her and her daughter on a daily basis.

In contrast, Doe contends that Smith is trying to reveal his identity. He further claims that she wrongfully accused him of intending to “kidnap” their daughter because he declined to finance her and her new boyfriend's vacation.