Woman forced to hand $1.3M lottery prize to ex-husband after keeping it secret

A woman in California was compelled to hand over her $1.3 million lottery winnings to her ex-husband as part of their divorce settlement. Denise Rossi had won the massive jackpot in a US lottery game just 11 days before filing for divorce from her husband, Thomas Rossi, after 25 years of marriage. Keeping her windfall a secret from Thomas, she thought she could walk away with the prize all to herself.

Years after their divorce in 1996, Thomas stumbled upon the truth when he received a letter from a company handling lump sum transitions for lottery winners. The letter, addressed to Denise, revealed her jackpot win and left Thomas bewildered.

The court heard how Denise had the original cheque sent to her mother's address to keep it hidden from her ex. She claimed that the win and the divorce were close in time because she had wanted to end the relationship for years. Thomas, on the other hand, felt blindsided and confused by her actions, as it was unlike her to act this way.

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Taking Denise to court, Thomas secured an injunction after the damning letter surfaced. The judge ruled that Denise had violated laws on disclosing assets and funds and acted with fraud or malice. As a result, Denise was ordered to pay Thomas the full value of her win in 20 annual installments of $66,800.

Denise's lawyer, Connolly Oyler, stated that she might have been able to keep the winnings had she been honest about them. By trying to keep it a secret, she lost the opportunity to argue that it was her separate property. The judge's anger led to the final ruling against her.

Another lottery drama

In another unrelated lottery drama, a life-changing $12.5 million winning ticket was stolen by a father and daughter from a relative's store in Canada. The duo's scam led to changes in the lottery rules, making it illegal for family members to purchase tickets from a relative's store. Despite their attempts to claim the winning ticket, the father and daughter were caught and jailed, and the real winner was eventually awarded the jackpot.

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