Mega Millions Winner Sues for Other Half of Jackpot

UPDATE Dec 11, 2024 4:05 PM CST

A Mega Millions winner who already has collected $197 million in a drawing a year ago would like the other half of the jackpot. Faramarz Lahijani filed suit last week claiming that he had both winning tickets for the $394 million jackpot but that the California Lottery has only forked over half of the total prize, People reports. He says he bought both lucky tickets at a gas station in Encino. The lottery says only one was turned in, and Lahijani's suit concedes he can't find the second ticket. He submitted a claim for it on Dec. 4, per KTLA, days before it expired. Both tickets had the same numbers, Lahijani claims, which he says he's used regularly for 30 years since his children picked them.

Dec 5, 2024 2:00 AM CST

A lottery winner in California is days away from becoming a lottery loser. The California Lottery says a winning Mega Millions ticket worth $197.5 million will expire at midnight Saturday, KTLA reports. It was one of two winning tickets for the Dec. 8, 2023, draw sold at the same gas station in Encino, with the numbers 21, 26, 53, 66, 70, and Mega Ball 13. The other winning ticket bought at the Chevron station at 18081 Ventura Boulevard has already been redeemed. If the holder of the winning ticket doesn't claim the prize at a district office or put a claim form in the mail before Sunday, the money will go to California public schools.

"We have no way of knowing who has the second jackpot-winning ticket from that incredible night," California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker said, per the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. "While it's a shame for potential winners to see any winning ticket expire, it does give a helpful boost to California public schools. All unclaimed prize money winds up helping support public education, so we can still feel good about it at the end of the day." In Ohio, meanwhile, a $138 million Powerball ticket will expire on Dec. 30, WJW reports. The winning ticket for the July 3 draw—with the numbers 02, 26, 33, 55, 57, and red Powerball 22—was sold in a Walmart in Huber Heights, near Dayton. (More Mega Millions stories.)