Anonymity might not last for billion-dollar jackpot winner
By Kate Northrop
The winner of the $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot is suing the mother of his child for allegedly telling his family about the lottery win.
An anonymous Maine man who won the $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot is accusing the mother of his child of blabbing about his win and is taking legal action in retaliation.
In February, one lucky winner stepped forward to claim the then-fourth-largest lottery jackpot in history (it is currently the sixth-largest) from the Mega Millions drawing on Jan., 13, 2023. He opted for the one-time lump sum payment of $723.56 million and would have received just over $404 million after taxes.
Since he had the option of claiming the winnings under a trust to keep his identity hidden, it was fairly certain that we would never know who he is.
However, that might very well change. Now, he's accusing the mother of his child of letting news of the win slip to his own parents, and depending on how tightly their lips are sealed, it remains to be seen whether the game of telephone has taken off in full swing.
Named only as "John Doe" in the lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday, he is seeking damages from the woman, known as "Sara Smith," for revealing the win and potentially jeopardizing his public identity and safety.
On Feb. 8, two weeks before he claimed the prize, "Sara" signed an NDA saying that she must keep the jackpot win a secret until their daughter comes of age on June 1, 2032 to "avoid irreparable harm of allowing the media or the public in general to discover" his identity, physical location, assets, and their daughter. In exchange, "John" agreed to provide her with support and ongoing security resources.
Documents state that a breach of the NDA would entitle "John" to "legal and equitable relief... without the requirement or necessity of proving actual damages." This could include monetary damages and the cost of attorney fees and expenses accrued by "John" following a breach.
Should "Sara" violate the NDA, whether by accident or deliberately, her contract required that she disclose the breach to "John." She did not divulge the violation to him after allegedly revealing the win to his father and stepmother over the phone. His sister then discovered the news through the grapevine, and it's possible more people know.
Documents say that the unauthorized disclosure of the news resulted in "John" suffering "irreparable injury," and that "there is immediate and imminent danger that 'John Doe' will continue to suffer irreparable injury for which there is no adequate remedy at law."
The winner's lawsuit demands that she reveal every single person she's told and that she pay a $100,000 fine for every time she broke the NDA in addition to attorney fees and court costs incurred.
"I understand why someone would want to remain anonymous with this kind of money," a representative said on behalf of the winner while claiming the prize in February. "We wish them well and hope they do good things with it."
l told you all being Anonymous will not protect you from Danger. I mentioned external threat by strangers and internal threat by family. If you go public you increase external threat true and if you go Anonymous you increase internal Threat . So the best thing really is to level your threat by not being Anonymous enjoy your life to the fullest
This is the burden of winning the lottery I guess.
And you know what, I still want to win it and so do millions of other hopefuls.
So am going to buy my PB and MM ticket.
I won't be signing any NDA with anyone - no one needs to know that I won anything.
We forge ahead with the lessons learnt - don't trust even those closest to you, lol 🤣🤣🤣
Mum's the Word:
https://www.freep.com/story/life/advice/2016/05/19/carolyn-hax-careful-trust-secrets/84293964/
Billion Dollar Whiners Can Afford Billion Dollar Security...
Get Over It!
lol i am so co-signing that, truth. i agree,wholly, with JADE.
Good morning, afternoon #facts
funny she told, and i am going to see if he win his suit, i doubt it, but more so, she doesn't have big funds to pay the guy who "hid"it from the MAN WOMAN who gave u life. smh
Proof money cannot buy you happiness. Sounds like it went to his head.
* The question is always- why? Maybe she was hoping he would propose to her since his ship finally came in & she would be set for life. Seems there is no way back into his good graces for now- mother of his child or not.
*What's that Taylor Swift song " Bad Blood."
So they are not married or living together, I assume. So why did he tell her in the first place? He could have increased his child support without disclosing the win. Tell no one unless you are legally required to do so like a joint marital asset.
some folks are alive today, 'cause its illegal to hunt them for sport
Under his state law and the child courts he is required to disclose any increase in wealth. This then gets turned over to the courts for re evaluation of the adult support errrr...i mean the mislabeled child support. He did his due diligence by creating a NDA and still following the court increase. He has every legal right to enforce the contract and seek damages .
He had his reasons for not telling his family. All parents/siblings aren't good people. She violated her agreement. I hope he wins. Problem is she is raising his child.
Move up the northern half of that state....It's rural enough so folks won't have any interest in his activities. Or live over the border in N.H.
I assumed it was some sort of informal support and not court ordered. He could have asked the family court not to share the source of his new wealth but still disclose the amount. But by the amount, she would have figured it out.
NDAs can be tricky to enforce. If the court first outed the lottery win to her, it will complicate matters. I hope he wins. We should all appreciate his efforts here. We might get some great case law to start the ball rolling again on the anonymity issue for states.
Once a blabbermouth, always a blabbermouth.
BobP
Strange how these winners choose to be anonymous and then eventually put themselves in the spotlight after the glitter fades.
If you are that afraid of someone in your family finding out you won a big jackpot, then don't buy a ticket.
There's more to the story and she must have had a very good reason to tell only his father and step mother. She specifically did not blab to coworkers and friends like a dummy, which is a point in her favor. Why is the winner on poor terms with his father and step mother? Sounds like a dysfunctional family. I look forward to hearing her side.
His parents could be drug addicts, alcoholics or criminals. They could be nice people he just doesn't like. Doesn't matter. It's his choice of whom he wants to share the news with. Blabber mouth should have respected that.
No the money did not go to his head. He wanted to remain anonymous but his big MISTAKE was telling the mother of his child. He should have kept it a secret from her and just proved money for the child and not tell where the money was coming from. Unfortunately most people don't know how to keep their mouth closed, always spilling secrets.
So true but unfortunately I put the blame on him. As the lottery winner HE should not have told her. All he needed to do was provide money for the child and not tell the mother where the money was coming from, make up a story. There was a guy who won 22 million dollars in the lottery some years ago, to this day he STILL has the bulk of his money. When he won, he knew his wife could keep a secret so he told her. He did not ever tell his children. He said he did not tell his children because he did not want them to become "WAITERS" (waiting for him to die so they can get the money). When his mother's house needed a new roof, he paid for it. His mother than asked where did he get the money to do that and he said when his uncle passed away he left him money so he was using that. Most of already know which of our family and friends can keep secrets and which can't, if one must tell someone they won the lottery.
$`100K for each infarction? presumptuous of me to say she probably doesn't have a pot to pee in.
Cutoff Sarah. That's what I'd do. G5
You can never remain anonymous. You buy a house or a car and someone will figure it out and blab it.
I see he's not trying to get custody of the his daughter, why not? The ex is clearly out of control ....
OMG Man, she was talking to his Parents...( sarcasm).
This case may show us exactly the level of anonymity one gets with a major lottery win. I assume lottery officials must be bound by some sort of employment agreement for lottery winners. The IRS knows. But what about others who had no legal right to know? I would be furious as well. As others have mentioned, make up a story about an inheritance. Some people have no class and will ask personal financial questions. I always act concerned and ask if they are having money issues and will help them find a financial counselor. Why would you be asking me nosy financial questions unless you are having issues. Is it due to gambling or drugs or an affair on the side? They quickly go away. Lol
I agree, there is more to this story. At what point did he obtain the NDA ..... before or after he told her about the win or could it of been a blanket NDA obtained at the time of support was being negotiated? How could he of known she would sign it if he told her first. So if it was before she could not disclose it to the courts in order to ask for an increase.
In this day and age there is no true way to remain anonymous. Banks know, the Irs knows , your attorney...etc. All of which it only takes one unscrupulous person needing money to sell your name. Anyone within your circle , family and friends, can become a target for kidnap and should be notified so they can be aware of surroundings. Regardless of whether they are good or bad people it's morally wrong to not advise them that they could be in harms way.
So did the grandparents let her go places the mother was concerned about for safety reasons? Maybe the daughters safety was worth more than violating a NDA ? Wouldn't you at least want the daughter to know she has to be mindful of what she does ? Maybe she noticed the security following her ?
Hopefully there is a follow up to this story.
He shouldn't have told anyone about his lottery win. If anything, he could have just sent the mother of his child larger child support payments.
She could disclose it to the court as long as it was not a public filing and asked for the judge to review the info in camera. This process is used for sensitive or confidential info. There is always a judicial or law enforcement exception to NDAs and other private agreements.
Yes, you may be right about that. But still too much missing from the story.
How?
That's why I think sometimes moving to a new area is a good idea. Not just moving two blocks down the street.
People buy cars and houses everyday and no one pays any thought to it.
The problem is suddenly broke Joe has bought a range rover and a 1M house down the street.
It just doesn't take rocket science to figure that out.
If I win big, I will stay put for 6 months to one year, then make my move - either to one extreme end of the state or out of state. No one will know that I was broke Joe etc.
As a wise man once said, if you want a secret to be known, just tell a woman.
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"...revealing the win to his father and STEPMOTHER."
Therein lies the problem.
His father and stepmother are likely his enemies.
The lottery winner showed a weakness by telling his secret to his woman.
The apple don't fall far from the tree.
Like father...like son.
Actually several studies have shown that men gossip far more. They just "define" it as networking or venting or expressing an opinion.
There is a retired man in my neighborhood who makes up crazy stories about other men. When he tries to tell me the story, I ask what is his proof. He then moves on.
I don't know which feminist organizations conducted those "studies" but this isn't about "gossiping"...this is about BETRAYAL.
The baby mama "betrayed a secret", you might say.
Well, betrayal has been a characteristic that women have led in since Samson and Delilah.
Good luck with the lottery and have a nice day.
Not so sure waiting 6 months to a year is all that wise. If you are over 50 that is a lot of time to just throw away that you could be enjoying the money. Most lottery winners are on the back nine. Moving away to Bismarck or Helena might work although they would get suspicious of a stranger moving there with a lot of money.
This is about you hurling slurs and stereotyping an entire gender vs the stupidity of one person.
I have a feeling you prefer all women to be wearing burkas and not able to leave their home unaccompanied by a male.
I guess the University of California is a feminist organization. Do some research. So many men have poor research skills.
Just because 2 people gave you life doesn't mean they are good people. Dennis Rader and Gary Ridgeway gave life. Robin Row (death row in Idaho) and Lori Vallow (life without parole in Idaho) gave life and then murdered that life. Not good people who deserve to be told about a windfall.
I personally cut off my mother the last 15 years of her life because she was a horrible person.
The woman who told on this guy probably has a bunch of money that the winner gave her. She can start paying out of that, then if she owes more he can cut her support until she's paid up.
*
There's lots of good women out there, but there is also a reason you hardly get females named Delilah. Hmm, l wonder why that is 
I agree.
And Dennis Radar gives me nightmares. One of the worst psycho criminals ever.
Sorry for being off subject. Kentucky started Double Play on Powerball a week ago tomorrow.
I wrongly envisioned this as an RNG feature. Looked up the video and they have a different set of balls used for that drawing. I'm through with Powerplay for the time being.
Feminists have infiltrated and corrupted ALL American institutions, so i'm sure that there are many feminists going to U C.
As a teen, I met Christie Hefner...daughter of the late, great Hugh Hefner.
The way his women were "dressed" at the Playboy mansion was alright with me!
In that period of 6 to one year, I would be enjoying the money, just not making big money moves.
I would take the time to plot my plan and execute it perfectly.
Sometimes taking a little time is very crucial before making life altering decisions. One needs to think through alot of stuff.
I encountered one of the Hillside Stranglers (Angelo Buono) in Hollywood, back in the day.
His cousin...the other Hillside Strangler, Kenneth Bianchi, lived not far from me.
He had a suspicious grin on his face when he approached me in his car, so I knew that he was up to something.
Looking back, he probably had a woman's body in his trunk.
I've met a lot of great people and i've also encountered some of the worst ones.
As far as humans, they don't get much lower than that.
The same reason there aren't too many men named "Samson".
Which reminds me of a poem I once wrote...
Bad women are made for BAD men and good women are made for GOOD men.
The Virgin Mary was made for Joseph the Carpenter, and Bonnie Parker for Bonnie and Clyde;
Bad women are made for BAD men and good women are made for GOOD men.
Most times, women get the type of man they DESERVE...that's LIFE!
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Needless to say, I was a big fan of Mother Teresa.
LIke all things men value, good women are RARE.
As a man who studied serial killers, I researched Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer.
He was a great father, by the way.
Often I hear women say that it takes a "real man" to be a good father.
Fortunately, they never crossed paths with Gary Ridgeway.
He was such a good father that his son posted an article on the internet, stating what a great father he was.
It was probably feminists who promoted the lie that it takes a "good man" to be a good father.
The truth is that a BAD man can be a good father and a GOOD man can be a deadbeat father.
There is no set rule and there are many possibilities.
Anyone else see the irony of wanting to be anonymous and then publicly suing someone you told that you won?
He has to prove in a court in a state with broad rights to access public records that his ex-wife harmed him by revealing he won a very large lottery prize to his family.
"Named only as "John Doe" in the lawsuit"
Wonder what will happen with she is asked on the witness stand if she signed an NDA with "John Doe" and she says "NO". How can he prove she violated an NDA with his real name without showing it?
In a USA article it says, his "ex-girlfriend breached an agreement" by "revealing the win to the man's father and stepmother over the phone, and the winner's sister later found out through hearsay."
The case was filed last Tuesday so it might be awhile before we learn the outcome.
* Without " Women" we wouldn't be here, but there are some real doozes out there which any women walking this green earth would turn their backs on in a blink of an eye: Dee Dee Moore, Ma Baker & Aileen Wuornos come to mind.
*Some men are just as bad but that's a topic for another day.
Charles Manson's mom was a teenage prostitute and Ted Bundy was born in a home for unwed mothers.
Bad men generally come from bad women...the apple don't fall far from the tree.
Yes, I see irony in it . As I said they always come back into the spotlight after the glitter fades.
From what I remembered of it this is a very small town of 6,000 people. How many unmarried females have a daughter that becomes on age on June 1, 2032 . It wouldn't take much to figure out who won. I wonder if the parents didn't figure it out first and then she confirmed it.
Something fishy about this whole story.
Coin Toss mentioned a discussion from several years ago about a jackpot winner using their own name suing to claim anonymously. Regardless of filing as "John Doe", how can he prove she signed a NDA with him or prove she told his dad without shown the document with his name or the name of his dad?
"Something fishy about this whole story."
What else should we expect from combining the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages with Lottery Operations in Maine.
Again, people sue with the name of John or Jane Doe all the time. Courts take precautions here. You are not waiving any anonymity claims by suing in this manner.
In regard to another matter, it is frightening to see a post referring to unwed women with children or prostitutes as bad women and signifying they are worthless. What about the unwed male? Prostitutes often come from homes where they were abused. It is a common trait among serial killers to view certain groups of people as having no value in our society. Definitely red flags with that post.
Time for DNA testing on him and child to confirm that he is the Dad. These days you just never know...LOL!!
Who makes up these stories ?
Men and women are the same today as they've always been. The difference is that in the past men had to depend on the mother's word. Many men raised another man's kid, thinking it was theirs. The most famous being Woody Allen paying for Frank Sinatra's son (Ronan) by Mia Farrow, whereas now a woman's lies can be disproven by DNA.
The store where the ticket was purchased is a pit stop along hwy 202. It's possible that neither the winner nor his family live there. It's also a stone's throw from the border with New Hampshire. I don't think his cover was necessarily blown by filing suit with so many details about his family life.
Another famous case involved Arnold Schwarzenegger's illegitimate son with his housekeeper. She was married and her husband thought the baby was his until the boy got bigger and started looking just like Arnold.
In that case, you didn't even need the DNA.
I love how these so called "men" ignore the behavior of people like Arnold S. Fortunately Maria divorced him. It takes 2 to create a child. Nice to know lp has a solid low life quota of male lottery players. I really hope they do not have any daughters. These are the men who are feeling demasculinized and are insecure due to their own failings in life.
But always good to see the classier LP guys not throwing this demeaning attitude around. I hope one of them win big.
LOL! I LOVE women like you!
I bet you're a good artist.
So sensitive....
If it means anything, i'm the one giving your posts a thumbs up.
Concerning Arnold, like I said earlier, bad women are made for bad men and good women are made for good men.
If Maria was good, she would have forgiven her cheating husband like her grandma, Rose Kennedy, did, which explains why she and Arnold were together.
Bad women are made for bad men and good women are made for good men.
I hope one of them win big.
Thank you for wishing us well - I promise if I win big I will let y'all know about it.
I will still remain anonymous 🤣🤣
new business idea: tell people i won the lottery and convince them to sign ndas. when they tell someone, sue for damages.
i think you may have an undiagnosed cuckold fetish.
Good luck. Like to see good and normal people win.
Omg lol lol You hit the nail on the head and I missed it. His "women" look elsewhere. He will have to win a major jp to get them to stay with him. You definitely know abnormal psychology diagnoses.
Or lie about winning a lottery....get random people to sign ndas. Sue when they violate it. Lol $ for life.
LOL! One of Joe Kennedy's mistresses...1920's movie star Gloria Swanson, who went on dates with him and his wife...who knew about their affair yet always treated her nice, said of Rose Kennedy, "Either she's a saint or a better actress than me."
Rose Kennedy indeed was a saint...the personification of a good wife.
My perspective maybe different from most because it is based on the Bible.
Not many people value the wisdom in the Bible nowadays.
Those of you who know the Bible know what Jesus said about FORGIVENESS.
Being able to forgive your cheating husband is characteristic of a good wife.
"...it is frightening to see a post referring to unwed women with children or prostitutes as bad women and signifying them as worthless."
You obviously don't know the Bible but i'll tell you this...
I don't think of any human as "worthless".
God gave His commandments regarding fornicators, adulteresses, LGBTQ, etc.
The wise will obey Him.
He is the judge.
The lottery winner in this story should sue himself for being stupid.
This is another of the MANY examples of "dumb luck".
Sometimes the dumbest people win so they can destroy themselves with the money.
Winning millions is the worst thing that could happen to one devoid of intelligence.
This post said it all. After that, there is not much else to say.
That's merely your personal religious belief and opinion. Luckily most of us don't live in a theocracy and can freely divorce a cheating spouse. If you can tolerate your wife loving up the pool boy, good for you. I don't think it makes you a good or bad person either way.
Somebody watched too much Law and Order and thinks people will believe they are a Jack McCoy.
In real life John Doe not only has to prove "Sara" signed the NDA but prove she told his father and step-mother. Like I said before, Maine is a state with broad rights to access public records and the NDA will be part of the public record if and when it is entered into evidence.
Bet everyone will know his name if he doesn't withdraws the lawsuit.
how do you prove someone signed a document that's in your possession? gee, that's a tough one.
I didn't post anything about "tolerating my wife loving up the pool boy".
It's what God thinks that counts.
I was just pointing out that Maria Shriver is different from her grandmother.
If not for pressure from feminists, she may have reacted the same way.
Nowadays, if a woman tolerates her husband cheating she is labeled as "weak" and "foolish".
I mentioned Rose Kennedy because Maria inherited some of her DNA.