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

Posted on: May 15, 2024, 07:11h. 

Last updated on: May 15, 2024, 10:03h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

The “lottery curse” appears to be working its malevolent power on the winner of Maine’s all-time biggest lottery jackpot, poisoning the relationships between the winner, his parents, and the mother of his child.

Mega Millions, $1.3B Jackpot, Jackpot, Maine, John Doe, Sara Smith
The anonymous winner of one of America’s biggest-ever lottery jackpots claims the mother of his child violated a nondisclosure agreement when she told his parents about the win. (NBC)

The anonymous $1.35 billion Mega Millions winner is suing his ex because he claims she blabbed to his parents about the win without his consent.

Now his former partner has hit back against her wealthy accuser, alleging misconduct on his part. Meanwhile, the winner’s father claims he is “not the son I knew.”

Doe vs. Smith

The former couple are referred to in court documents by the pseudonyms “John Doe” and “Sara Smith,” respectively. That’s because Maine allows lottery winners to remain anonymous.

Doe sued Smith in November 2023, claiming she violated a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) when she told his dad and stepmom about his newfound riches.

The NDA had been put in place 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, according to the lawsuit.

Doe wants an injunction preventing Smith from disclosing any further information about the jackpot. He has also asked the court to order Smith to list every person she told and pay compensatory damages of “an amount to be determined at trial, but no less than $100K per unauthorized disclosure.”

Rift Deepens

In recently filed documents in the case, both Smith and the man’s father claim that Doe himself told his parents about the win. Doe also demanded his father no longer speak to Smith, which caused a rift 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 alleges in a recent court filing that Doe has hired a security team that allegedly follows her and her daughter around on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, Doe claims that Smith is attempting to expose his identity. He also alleges she falsely accused him of trying to “kidnap” their daughter because he refused to pay for her and her new boyfriend to go on vacation.