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

The "lottery curse" seems to be exerting its harmful influence on the winner of Maine's largest lottery jackpot ever, damaging the ties between the winner, his parents, and the mother of his child. 

The unidentified $1.35 billion Mega Millions victor is suing his former partner, asserting she disclosed the victory to his parents without his approval. 

Now his ex-partner has retaliated against her affluent accuser, claiming wrongdoing on his side. In the meantime, the father of the winner states that he is “not the child I recognized.” 

 

Doe v. Smith 

In court documents, the previous couple are identified by the names “John Doe” and “Sara Smith,” respectively. This is due to the fact that Maine permits lottery winners to keep their identities private. 

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

According to the lawsuit, the NDA was established to “ensure the safety and security of John Doe, the defendant, and their daughter, and to prevent the irreversible damage of permitting the media or public to uncover” their identities and physical whereabouts. 

Doe seeks a court order to stop Smith from revealing any additional details regarding the jackpot. He has additionally requested that the court direct Smith to identify everyone she informed and pay compensatory damages of “an amount to be determined at trial, but not less than $100K for each unauthorized disclosure.” 

 

Chasm Widening 

In newly submitted documents for the case, both Smith and the father of the man assert that Doe revealed the win to his parents himself. Doe additionally insisted that his father refrain from conversing with Smith, resulting in a split between the two individuals. 

“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.”

In a recent court document, Smith claims that Doe has employed a security team that purportedly tracks her and her daughter's movements every day. 

In the meantime, Doe alleges that Smith is trying to reveal his identity. He claims she wrongly accused him of attempting to “kidnap” their daughter for not financing her and her new boyfriend's vacation.