With $63M jackpot expiring today, Calif. Lottery sued by owner of damaged ticket

Feb 4, 2016, 2:16 pm (52 comments)

California Lottery

A man who claims he purchased the winning $63 million SuperLotto Plus ticket purchased in Chatsworth has taken legal action to be declared the winner as lottery officials continue their search for a last-minute winner.

The winning ticket for the Aug. 8 drawing was sold at the 7-Eleven store located at 20871 Lassen Street and whoever bought that ticket has 180 days to claim their prize, Lottery Post reported.

The ticket matched all of the winning numbers: 1, 16, 30, 33, and 46, with Mega number 24.

If no one comes forward with the winning ticket by 5 p.m. Thursday, the winnings will be forfeited and redirected to California public schools, according to the news release.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles County man said he has the winning ticket and has already turned it in to lottery officials who have rejected it as being "too damaged to be reconstructed."

In papers filed Wednesday morning in Los Angeles County Superior Court, plaintiff Brandy Milliner said he already submitted the winning SuperLotto Plus ticket to lottery officials, and even received a congratulatory letter. 

However, Milliner said the lottery office later reneged on his payment. In January, they sent him a second letter informing him that a review of the ticket found it "too damaged to be reconstructed."

Milliner is now asking a judge to declare him the winner of the jackpot.

The lawsuit comes as the California Lottery amps up its public outreach efforts to find the ticket-holder before a 5 p.m. deadline Thursday. After that, the winner forfeits the prize and the $63 million goes into the state's education fund.

Lottery officials have insisted that nobody has claimed the jackpot.

On Wednesday afternoon, lottery officials said they were reviewing the matter.

"The last-minute timing of this is suspicious," said lottery spokesman Russ Lopez. "I am not saying it's not real."

The winning ticket was sold Aug. 8 at a 7-Eleven store at 20871 Lassen St. in Chatsworth. The winning numbers are 1, 16, 30, 33, and 46, with Mega number 24.

In his lawsuit, Milliner claims he presented the ticket to the California State Lottery Commission within the claim period. The commission then sent him a letter congratulating him, and saying he would receive a check in six to eight weeks.

Milliner claims that even though officials told him the ticket was too damaged to be reconstructed, they have refused to return it to him despite repeated demands. He insists that they have destroyed the ticket, which is the reason they can't return it.

Lopez said it is standard procedure for the lottery to send congratulatory letters to all winners claiming a prize. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that they have won.

An investigation performed by a team of former law enforcement and security officials is immediately launched into any claims made by potential winners.

A win is only secured after the investigation proves the ticket holder was the lawful winner, Lopez said.

Lopez said lottery officials were "taken aback" by the lawsuit and have not received any documents regarding a legal claim.

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

KTLA, LA Times, Lottery Post Staff

Comments

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

He can't win this, the state is salivating over the win.

The state doesn't pay taxes on the win...isn't that nice ?

 

Is there video of him buying tix at the right time ?

 

Weird...the upper part of the ticket looks like the face of an animal...anyone else see that ?

Todd's avatarTodd

I would think the lottery would have some kind of document retention policy under which they would hold on to all paper documents (including this damaged ticket) for a certain length of time before scanning/destroying them.  Strange that the lottery would immediately destroy paper documents.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

I've had lottery tickets end up looking like after setting on a hot dash board in my truck but I would think with the paper roll numbers still in tack and tests for heat sensitive paper they could come up with a better explanation.

LOTTOKING2016

Lol all of em are criminals cheers guys :DDDD

LOTTOKING2016

I mean all the officials of lottery are paid criminals

travelintrucker's avatartravelintrucker

Looking at that ticket, there's no way he can win this. The exception being, they could verify the date/time with camera footage. Sad. Interesting. WTF did he do to the ticket?! They tell you to keep those things in safe places.

JackOfHearts

His numbers are out of order, is that possible?

Groppo's avatarGroppo

Quote: Originally posted by haymaker on Feb 4, 2016

He can't win this, the state is salivating over the win.

The state doesn't pay taxes on the win...isn't that nice ?

 

Is there video of him buying tix at the right time ?

 

Weird...the upper part of the ticket looks like the face of an animal...anyone else see that ?

It is unfortunate for the claimant. I read elsewhere on here, that he was a prisoner of some sort.
Anyway, it looks like the ticket was in his fading jeans, and got the ticket all messed up.

I don't know. I just dont know. If the ticket is not awarded, there is going to be some lotto player
in need of psychiatric help.  And, rightfully so, even though they should have taken better care of their ticket.

 

TO ALL LOTTO PLAYERS:

 

Don't let the above scenario happen to you.    Always take care of your tickets.  Don't just shove them into your pockets.
We should all see from this, that it will cause a lot of heart ache.  But, can any of us really tell, if the ticket is valid, AND if the claimant is really telling us the truth?

Whenever I get my tickets, I put them in my lotto envelope. That way, they never get lost, and are fairly well protected.

Most unfortunate situation.

I am really sorry if the claimant does not get his prize. That's 60 million+.   I am so sorry for them, if the California Lotto's final word on this situation is "no go".

Bleudog101

As the old Peter, Paul and Mary song would go 'when will they ever learn?' 

Don't blame the CA lottery one bit; looks like it was left on a dashboard or some other area of high heat.

 

He doesn't deserve one thin dime and to wait this long?  Something is fishy here.

Groppo's avatarGroppo

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on Feb 4, 2016

As the old Peter, Paul and Mary song would go 'when will they ever learn?' 

Don't blame the CA lottery one bit; looks like it was left on a dashboard or some other area of high heat.

 

He doesn't deserve one thin dime and to wait this long?  Something is fishy here.

I agree, but also agree with Mr. Todd who's just stated that he finds it unusual that the Calif. Lottery would immediately destroy the ticket that they do now have.

Still, to the claimant:  Why did you wait so doggone long?

I would have been shaking, trembling with fear with that ticket in my possession, keeping it in pristine shape, until I was to get my check. But look at the doggone thing now. Looks like it came out of someone's poop shute.

I am truly disturbed about this situation, today. And, I don't know whom I should believe.
I wish ALL people would just do the right thing. And to do it when they should do it.

lulu1feather

Quote: Originally posted by JackOfHearts on Feb 4, 2016

His numbers are out of order, is that possible?

I saw that, too! I havent seen a ticket with out of order numbers. Ive never played SuperLotto Plus, so I dont know if maybe their tickets can do that,  but that did strike me as odd that the 33 was before the 30.

noise-gate

At least with the " Shroud of Turin" you can make out a shape - this is plain guesswork  .With our State fiscal Budget crisis-  I seriously doubt he will get a penny. The State lottery want you to produce a ticket if you claim you won, not something that requires carbon dating. Sorry Sir.

larry3100's avatarlarry3100

I've been playing the Mega Millions and the Powerball game for years now and never had a lottery ticket in such bad shape. I seen some red serial numbers on this ticket that were backwards, so I took a mirror and could read 863255934. I don't know if these numbers can be traced back to the winning ticket but it's just an idea. Well, in just a few hours, it looks like the schools of California will win on this one. Personally, I think that the jackpot of some $63 million should have been put back into the SuperLotto Plus game.

destinycreation

Are these numbers supposed to be his chosen numbers or a Quick Pick ??? Both types would have been printed out in numerical order.  Right ??

In any case, this ticket is too damaged to reconstruct.  He shouldn't waste attorneys' fees trying to fight this losing battle.

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