Sore family

The family of an unidentified man who won a $1.35bn Mega Millions lottery jackpot has filed a lawsuit against him, alleging his promise to share his winnings with them was a lie.

lied about promises to share his windfall with family

According to a lawsuit filed Friday in Portland, Maine by the unidentified man’s father, the newly minted millionaire allegedly lied about promises to share his windfall with family.

“John Doe” as he’s named in the lawsuit, bought the winning ticket at Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon, Maine on January 13, 2023. He then opted to receive his money in a lump-sum payment of around $500m after taxes.

Since November, John Doe has been involved in a lawsuit against the mother of his daughter, which has triggered the ugly family feud. It started when Doe accused Sara Smith, a pseudonym for the mom used in court documents, of breaching a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) by revealing his lottery bonanza to family members.

Doe wanted his winnings kept secret until his daughter turned 18 in 2032. He alleges Smith told his father about the lottery win. The fresh sworn declaration from Doe’s father supporting Smith, however, states Doe was the one who told him about the big win, not Smith.  

Big promises

Not only did Doe’s father refute his son’s accusation against Smith, he claims in the statement he gave Friday under oath that Doe told him and his wife about the money while suggesting the various ways he was planning to split the cash.

“I understand that my son has stated that he told me nothing about his money ‘other than the simple fact that I had won.’ That is not true,” the declaration reads.

The father said Doe came to his house “February or March of 23” to tell him about the win, and despite the father insisting he asked for no money, Doe supposedly began making promises. These promises included buying the house Doe grew up in, building his father a garage customized to restore old cars, establishing a $1m trust fund for his dad, and funding medical expenses for his father and stepmother.

I thought she was a good mother”

The final straw seems to have come when Doe demanded his father, a retired police chief, cut off all communications with Smith. “[She] is the mother of our grandchild and we have had a good relationship with her over the years,” the father stated. “I thought she was a good mother and we did not want to turn our back on her as he insisted.”

According to The Daily Beast the father subsequently told Doe: “You are not the son I knew.”

“He got angry, calling me a ‘dictator’ and an ‘asshole.’ I have not heard from my son since, and he has not done any of (the) things he promised,” said the disgruntled ex-cop.

About turn

Doe has since changed tack, admitting in a declaration filed with the May 10 motion, that he “made the mistake of telling my father that I had won the lottery without having him sign a confidentiality agreement.”

The bottom line is multimillionaire Doe has not shared any money with his family and instead initiated the NDA lawsuit against Smith. The mother of Doe’s daughter states Doe is after revenge for Smith refusing to get back together with him.

Smith claims she and her daughter are being followed by Doe’s “new security team” and that Doe “kidnapped” her daughter for several weeks. Doe, however, states Smith agreed he could take the girl out of state on a vacation.