A man, from Washington DC, has decided to take legal action against Powerball and the DC Lottery after believing he had won the $340 million (over Rs 2,800 crore) jackpot.
John Cheeks purchased a Powerball lottery ticket on January 6, 2023, which has become the subject of a heated dispute, reported The Guardian.
Despite missing the Powerball drawing the next day, Mr Cheeks was astonished to find his numbers listed on the DC Lottery's website just two days later, the report added. Powerball and the DC Lottery, however, contend that his numbers were published in error, sparking a contentious legal battle over the rightful winner of the massive jackpot.
In an interview with NBC Washington, Mr Cheeks recalled his initial reaction, stating, “I got a little excited, but I didn't shout, I didn't scream. I just politely called a friend. I took a picture as he recommended, and that was it. I went to sleep.”
However, upon submitting his ticket to the Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG), Cheeks faced rejection of his claim.
As per the report, the court documents stated that the administrators denied Mr Cheeks' jackpot claim. In a letter to him, they explained that his prize claim was denied because the ticket was not validated as a winner by the OLG's gaming system, as required by OLG regulations.
“One of the claims agents told me my ticket was no good, just to throw it in the trash can,” Mr Cheeks recounted to the BBC.
He remembered responding, “I gave him a stern look. I said, ‘In the trash can?' ‘Oh yeah, just throw it away. You're not going to get paid. There's a trash can right there.'”
Mr Cheeks chose not to discard his ticket but instead placed it in a safe deposit box and sought legal counsel to file a lawsuit against Powerball. The lawsuit filed by Mr Cheeks also names the Multi-State Lottery Association and game contractor Taoti Enterprises as defendants, the report added.
He is currently seeking damages from the lottery, amounting to the Powerball jackpot, plus the daily interest he would have earned on it, totalling $340 million, the report added.
Mr Cheeks is now suing for eight separate counts, including breach of contract, negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and fraud.
His lawyer, Richard Evans, argues that because the winning numbers matched Mr Cheeks' numbers, he should receive the entire jackpot.
“This lawsuit raises critical questions about the integrity and accountability of lottery operations and the safeguards - or lack thereof - against the type of errors that Powerball and the DC Lottery contend occurred in this case,” Mr Evans stated in a statement to the BBC.
Mr Evans emphasised that the issue is not just about numbers on a website.
The upcoming hearing in the case is scheduled for February 23.
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