A California man, Faramarz Lahijani, has filed a lawsuit against the California State Lottery, claiming he bought both winning Mega Millions tickets that earned him half of the $394 million jackpot. Lahijani alleges he purchased the second ticket after losing it and submitted a claim for the second ticket four days before the deadline.
According to reports, Lahijani says the numbers on the winning tickets were chosen by his children 30 years ago, which he has played regularly ever since. The California Lottery initially noted that two jackpot-winning tickets were sold at the same store in separate transactions, but Lahijani’s lawsuit claims they possess sufficient information to confirm he is the rightful owner of both tickets.
This lawsuit comes after a Massachusetts store clerk was sentenced for her role in an unsuccessful scheme to steal a winning $3 million Mega Millions ticket. A similar investigation and claim process allowed the true winner to receive his prize in full.
Source: https://www.masslive.com/lottery/2024/12/mega-millions-winner-sues-lottery-says-he-deserves-other-half-of-394m-jackpot.html