News writer
When it comes to life-changing lottery wins, sometimes things don't go according to plan. That is what a California man is saying after he claims he should be $394 million richer — after he bought not one, but two winning Mega Millions tickets for the December 2023 drawing.
The man was awarded half of the jackpot, but he states he's still owed the other half, which has become a high-stakes legal battle. The time to claim the prize has since passed, but this story is far from over.
The jackpot win
The Mega Millions jackpot win goes back to December 8, 2023. Two lucky tickets were purchased at the same Chevron gas station in Encino, California. Both of the tickets matched the five winning white balls (21, 26, 53, 66, and 70) and the Powerball number (13) to claim the massive jackpot.
Since that time, one lucky winner came forward to claim their half of the winnings ($197.5 million). However, the other lucky ticket holder didn't come forward, and the ticket expired on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
A new twist
With the ticket expiration date having passed, we now have a new twist in this bizarre story. A man in California has now filed a lawsuit against the California Lottery claiming he only got half of the total prize he was owed from his Mega Millions win.
According to CBS News, Faramarz Lahijani filed the lawsuit with the Los Angeles Superior Court. In the lawsuit, Lahijani alleges he was only granted 50% of the jackpot from that December 8, 2023, drawing.
Lahijani claims he purchased both of the winning tickets from that Chevron gas station in Encino. He states he used the same numbers on both tickets, and he's been using these same numbers for the past 30 years, which he claims were chosen by his children.
The lawsuit was filed on Friday, December 6, 2024, just hours before the second half of the jackpot was set to expire. Lahijani also filed a claim with the lottery commission on December 4, 2024.
In the lawsuit, Lahijani is seeking the other $197.5 million that he believes he is owed. He claims he misplaced the second ticket but is still owed the other half of the jackpot.
When asked about the lawsuit, the California Lottery told CBS News:
It would not be appropriate for the California Lottery to comment on an active lawsuit or any pending litigation to protect the integrity of the process involved.
More legal issues with the California Lottery
The California Lottery is familiar with legal issues when it comes to lottery winnings. In October, a lawsuit against Edwin Castro, the California man who won the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot in November 2022, was dismissed.
In that lawsuit, Castro was sued by Jose Rivera, who claimed the California man stole the winning ticket from him. A Los Angeles County judge dismissed the lawsuit, and it became official when Rivera failed to file any paperwork fighting that judge's ruling.
Another recent Powerball winner made the news recently, but no lawsuit was ever filed. A California man won a $44 million Powerball jackpot but then had to wait almost 12 weeks to receive his winnings. Despite his complaints to the media, the California Lottery stayed strong in saying this was all part of their vetting process and sometimes it can take longer.
Enjoy playing the California Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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