Court keeps $1.08B Powerball fight alive — for now

It's not every day someone takes on the California Lottery over a billion-dollar prize, but that's exactly what one woman is doing. Her claim to a $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot has sparked a courtroom showdown, and while the state tried to shut it down, a judge just gave her case new life.

The catch? She'll need to back up her bold claim with more than just words.

Request denied at this time

Back in May, the Attorney General's Office in California asked for this $1.08B Powerball lawsuit to be thrown out. Now, a judge has declined that request and ruled that the lawsuit can continue, but the plaintiff needs to strengthen their claim and provide more evidence.

On Thursday, August 21, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Upinder S. Kalra said plaintiff Stacy Tru could have 21 days to file an amended complaint. In that complaint, she alleges one count of breach of contract and a common count.

Tru is alleging she is entitled to the $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot that was won on July 19, 2023.

In their court papers, the Attorney General's Office claimed Tru neglected to attach to her complaint a copy of the contract she alleges the lottery commission has breached.

The Attorney General's Office wrote:

Because plaintiff did not attach a copy of the contract, did not provide the terms of the contract verbatim and then did not allege facts demonstrating the breach of contract based on those terms, her breach of contract claim fails as alleged.

No ticket, no jackpot

The rules for the California Lottery state that a valid, original Powerball ticket is the only acceptable proof of a player's ticket numbers. Because of that, it is the “only acceptable instrument” for claiming a prize in the state. The state claims both causes of action had issues that cannot be overcome with amendments. For that reason, Tru's lawsuit should have been dismissed.

However, Tru's attorney thinks differently. They state that the commission is arguing that the plaintiff must verbatim allege the terms of a written contract. Tru's attorney is saying that it is not possible because the commission itself doesn't know what the terms are or where they are located.

According to court papers, Tru's attorney stated:

Plaintiff is not opposed to amending the complaint as to [the] written terms of a contract, but for the fact that the plaintiff does not know which terms are agreed upon, applicable and enforceable, and apparently neither does the defendant.

Now the judge ruled Tru and her attorney have three more weeks to provide more evidence to back up their claims, or the lawsuit could be thrown out there.

The original lawsuit

Tru originally filed the lawsuit on January 28, 2025. She is claiming that she is entitled to the $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot that was won in California on July 19, 2023. She is seeking $1.08 billion along with interest retroactive to October 15, 2023. That is the date she states she made a claim for the money but was denied.

While Tru is claiming she won this huge Powerball jackpot, another California woman has already claimed the jackpot and received her money from lottery officials. Yanira Alvarez was the lucky winner, and she purchased the winning ticket from Las Palmitas Mini Market in Los Angeles.

Enjoy playing the California Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.