A man known as 'John Doe' from Lebanon, the winner of the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot, is suing his daughter's mom for revealing the beans about his win.
Now, he is taking legal action against the woman, named only as 'Sarah Smith' in legal papers, for supposedly telling his family about his winnings, despite her signing a non-disclosure agreement to keep quiet until their daughter turns 18 in 2032.
According to the report, Doe was supposed to beat the odds of 1 in 302.6 million to win the $1.35 billion jackpot.
The significant event unfolded on Friday, January 13, breaking a three-month streak without a winner. 'John Doe' purchased the winning Mega Millions ticket, featuring the numbers 30, 43, 45, 46, and 61, along with a gold Mega Ball of 14, at Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon, Maine.
Opting for a lump-sum payment, he received $723,564,144, amounting to nearly $500 million after tax deductions. Interestingly, had he bought the ticket just a mile away over the New Hampshire border, he would have gained an additional $52 million.
Accroding to the court document, on February 8, 'Sarah Smith' committed to a non-disclosure agreement, pledging to maintain confidentiality about 'John Doe's' identity as the jackpot winner until June 1, 2032, when their daughter is 18 years old.
The court filing said: 'Due to the unique safety, security, and privacy concerns associated with winning the lottery, Defendant agreed to enter into a Non-Disclosure Agreement (“NDA”) with John Doe to promote the safety and security of John Doe, Defendant, and their daughter and to avoid the irreparable harm of allowing the media or the public in general to discover, inter alia, John Doe’s identity, physical location, and assets.'
The contract also stated that Smith must get written permission from Doe if she were to tell anyone and in the case of 'an intentional or inadvertent disclosure' she must provide written notice of what happened.
According to the lawsuit, in September, Doe alleged Smith that revealed his status to his father and stepmother over one or more telephone communications. She also reveals with Doe's sister, so many people learned he was the Mega Millions winner.
So, Doe is suing Smith and wants $100,000 per unauthorized disclosure. He also urged the court to issue an injunction against Smith because he wanted to reveal to others his identity
'As a result of Defendant’s unauthorized disclosures, John Doe has suffered irreparable injury, and there is immediate and imminent danger that John Doe will continue to suffer irreparable injury for which there is no adequate remedy at law,' said the court filing.
