The winner of a $315 million lottery jackpot has been ordered to honor a settlement he reached with a racetrack worker who accused him of assaulting her.
A judge issued a summary judgment Wednesday against Jack Whittaker in a breach of contract lawsuit filed in February by Rhonda L. Lilly.
Lilly, who was a floor attendant at Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center in Nitro, had agreed to an undisclosed settlement from Whittaker in exchange for dismissing a personal injury claim against him, the lawsuit said. Whittaker made some payments but not all that he promised, Lilly's attorney, John Barrett, said at the time.
The judge also dismissed a counterclaim Whittaker filed against Lilly accusing her of defamation. Whittaker's attorney, Robert Dunlap, had argued the claim should have alleged abuse of process, saying Whittaker had initially tried to handle the case himself.
Whittaker's win on Christmas 2002 was the largest undivided lottery prize in U.S. history at the time. He took his winnings in a lump sum of $113 million after taxes.
Kitti French, another Tri-State worker, filed a similar lawsuit against Whittaker in January.
In both instances, Whittaker said he couldn't pay the full settlements because thieves cleaned out his accounts at a local bank, said Barrett, who also represents French.
A company owned by Whittaker is suing Charleston-based City National Bank, claiming negligence when tellers cashed 12 phony checks ranging from $2,200 to $7,200 on the company's account. City National has said it was not liable for the checks.
i can't wait to see the movie or read the book on about jack
is it true that jack's wife told the press,that she wished they never hit the jackpot
That's America for you. Everybody owes you something.
They should leave Jack alone. Winning the lottery is not a curse.
Yeah, after watching "lottery diaries" on t.v., it made me feel almost afraid to come back here and fool with the games. And I personally don't feel that poor ol' Jack deserves all the stuff he gets. I think he should pay what he agreed to pay., but I think the bank that had the tellers stealing his money need to pay him back too. Stealing is stealing, I don't care who you think you are.
It was about time for ol Jack to pop back up...been too long.
Who loves ya, Jack ? we do !
Yes, she did say that.
she said she would have torn the ticket up because she was happier before the money and her
Granddaughter was still alive.
Yes, he is being picked on too much and maybe he didn't assault these women. Perhaps he's being judged by his reputation. That said, he's not totally innocent because of his erratic behavior over the years. However, I think he should have sold his business and moved far away after he won the PB jackpot. Still, you can't run away from who you are.
The lottery can be a blessing or a curse, but it's really the winner who makes that decision.
The one I hate the most is a commercial here in Tennessee about these injure attorneys . It is about that kid that died in Jack's house; He was sued for that too and everybody lived happily ever after. What a F***?
they show that commercial way too much but i guess they think its great advertisement for the law firm but its on too many times...
The solution to all larger jackpot winners' problems can be resolved by disappearing for several years in the stunningly beautiful city of Perth by the sea.
Be it the press, unscrupulous lawyers or scammers; they won't likely follow a lottery winner to those remote locations.
... alas, they never listen to my advice ;)
All I know is if I won that much cash, I would hook up some of my Fam..and then pay off all debts, then every thing is clear as way I'll go on Vaca some where cell phones dosen't excist and sip mai tai's or pina colads and watch the women in dance with no tops on.