She went into a feeding frenzy with an UNSIGNED TICKET?

HRH Todd - You should facilitate a course.

Why did she feel she had to go public (Dog and Pony Show)? If she was that overwhlemed she should have taken a few weeks to confer with consultants (investment/tax/legal). It will prove a hell of a lot cheaper than the attorneys they have representing them now!

Plan to win and have a plan!!!

What a dysfunctional family!!!

This story should be good for a few laughs as it plays out.I'm guessing that we'll see more of these folks on "How The Lottery Ruined My Life."

"Why did she feel she had to go public (Dog and Pony Show)?"

There's something really bizarre about that part of the story. There's no way the lottery had her doing the publicity thing before the ticket was claimed through the usual process, so why was she meeting lottery officials at the gas station with a ticket that wasn't signed, and therefore must not have been presented to lottery officials yet? I saw another article that makes it sound like she checked the numbers and then went to the gas station, perhaps to confirm the numbers ar have a clerk check the ticket. That makes it sound like she bumped into the lottery officials by chance, which might explain them telling her she should sign the ticket.  That still leaves the question of why she would have the son sign it instead of her husband, or why she couldn't wait for a few minutes. There's also the question of why these lottery officials would tell her to sign the ticket and then stand around while her son signs his name on it.

At any rate, if her story is true there should be some lottery officials who can confirm most of her version.

If I had a son like that I'd knock him into next week.

She later checked her Mega Millions ticket against the numbers in a newspaper, and saw she had won, the lawsuit said.

Once Mrs. Urquhart saw that this was a winning ticket, why didn't Mrs. Urquhart and/or Mr. Urquhart, her husband sign the ticket?

Urquhart and her husband, Orender's stepfather, later went with Orender to the Mobil station where they met with lottery officials.

"Lottery officials requested the winning ticket be signed," the lawsuit said. "Etta May was overcome with emotions, she could barely talk and her body was shaking badly. Given her condition, Etta May asked Orender to sign the ticket on her behalf."

Why did the meeting take place at the Mobil station instead of the lottery offices? So not understanding that.

Why didn't Mrs. Urquhart tell her husband to sign the ticket? After all Mr. Urquhart (husband) was there with them and it would've made sense for the husband to sign the ticket since the wife was too emotional to sign it. Or better yet, wait until the wife had calmed down enough to sign the tickert herself.

But as it turns out Orender "signed the winning ticket in his own name and not on behalf of Etta May," the lawsuit said.

Later, he suggested that due to the "magnitude of the situation, and the likely attention and pressures" from family, friends and strangers, Etta May should "tell others that she bought the ticket for Orender," the lawsuit said.

She agreed to the plan, according to the lawsuit, filed April 23 in Kern County. Orender ultimately opted to take a lump sum cash payment of $32.3 million, and planned to "take care of his parents and other family as well," a statement last year from Mega Millions said.

Why did Mr. and Mrs. Urquhart agree to Mr. Orender's plan instead of correcting the mistake at the lottery office? Had the Urquharts spoke up once the mistake was discovered, the problem could have been corrected and things could've been back to normal by now.

What it sounds like, PERDUE, is that she had complete faith and trust in her son.

And then found out he's really a jerk.

But Ridge, WHY didn't she ask her HUSBAND to sign the ticket?

He was RIGHT THERE!!

The husband could've signed her name and they would'nt be in this mess.

Why not wait until she calmed down and sign the ticket herself?

It's not like they only had 10 minutes left before the ticket expired?

She could've signed the ticket when she checked the numbers in the newspaper.

All she had to do is flip the ticket over and sign her name.

This woman doesn't strike me as someone who's short mentally.

Trust or no trust girlie girl wouldn't be in this mess if she had signed the ticket herself.

This story is like the Willis-Willis nightmare all over again.

If she raised him, she should have known he was a jerk.  People don't just all of a certain become a jerk.

That's true... but aren't there degrees of jerk-dom?  My eldest child personifies ... everything I raised my kids NOT to be, but REALLY didn't show her true colors until she had some of what she considered "power", then she really went full-throttle... and no one expected what happened.

So what could have happened is that mom knew his proclivities, just not the degree to which he would succumb; or mom was just sadly blind to who/what her child was.  In the latter case, YIKES!  why oh WHY didn't she have her dh sign!!! (that has to be the question that she continually has going around in her brain.  not to mention the question that her dh is continually asking her morning/noon and night!)

A Mother's love is blind. Happens all the time. She got her eyes opened now, that's for sure. However, I bet she is still making excuses for him.

As to why didn't she have her husband sign? It could be that she wanted her children to be the ones to inherit later, not his. In this world of extended families, there exists a conundrum for older remarrieds regarding inheritance for their children from earlier marriages. Maybe she does not get along with his kids from an earlier marriage and did not wish for them to benefit from her winnings. 

Lessons learned: don't go to the place you bought the ticket to verify winnings. Verify yourself, then go to the lottery office after you have consulted an attorney, et al.

That sorry no good Ba*****!!!!!