Lottery Winner Fighting For Privacy Keeps Jackpot
A lottery jackpot winner will get her money after a legal fight over releasing her identity plays out in court. A judge ruled in favor of a New Hampshire woman allowing the woman to claim the ticket through a trust, although the woman had already signed the ticket herself.
In a court filing Thursday, the New Hampshire Lottery Commission approved the payment to a trust the woman set up. Consequently, the winning ticket will be placed in a secure location. The court decides whether it’s subject to the state’s Right-to-Know law.
Judge Charles Temple issued his ruling Friday, just days after hearing arguments from the winner’s lawyers and the state lottery commission.
Good Karma Family Trust of 2018 will claim the prize for the woman. She must provide her identification and Social Security number.
Lawyers for the woman, identified as Jane Doe, said she signed the back of the ticket following the Jan. This meant her name and address would become public.
Under New Hampshire law, a lottery winner’s name, town and prize amount are public information.
The woman struck gold with the Easy Pick combination of 12-29-30-33-61 and Powerball number 26.
The winner bought the ticket at Reeds Ferry Market in Merrimack, N.H.
When presented to the commission, the winning ticket will be considered a public document. Under New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know law, most public documents should be released upon appropriate request.
Furthermore, the name and address is usually a minimum requirement when winning the jackpot.
However, the privacy of the woman may not stay disclosed.
As a result, the woman is asking the court to allow her to skirt state law. The law requires the identities of lottery winners to become part of the public record.
