A Los Angeles man is embroiled in legal action against the California Lottery over claims that he was the sole winner of a $394 million Mega Millions jackpot despite only having one of two winning tickets in his possession. Faramarz Lahijani filed suit last week in the Los Angeles Superior Court, asserting that he should be awarded the full jackpot from the draw that took place on December 8, 2023, as detailed by Patch. His claim hinges on the belief that he purchased both tickets, which bore the identical numbers 21, 26, 53, 66, 70, and Mega Ball 13—a combination, he says, was chosen by his children and used for 30 years.
Lahijani had come forward this past June to claim his $197 million share for the first ticket. However, he now argues that, due to losing the second ticket, he was unable to rightfully claim the other half before it expired, according to Patch. The California Lottery had purportedly never encountered a situation where the two jackpot-winning tickets sold at the same location were to potentially belong to the same individual, with the official result still unverified at the time of drawing.
While Lahijani has taken the battleground to court to possibly recover the remaining millions, the California Lottery remains tight-lipped. "It would not be appropriate for the California Lottery to comment on an active lawsuit or any pending litigation to protect the integrity of the process involved," a spokesperson for the Lottery said in a statement obtained by CBS News Los Angeles.
The lawsuit is not without complications, with complexities arising regarding the outstanding prize. Jackpot winners can mail in the winning ticket and necessary paperwork provided it is postmarked before the expiration, creating a waiting period as the mail is processed, as noted by KTLA. If the lawsuit comes to be dismissed and the rightful winner of the second jackpot proves to be someone else or remains unknown, the unclaimed millions are slated to support public education in the state, following California lottery regulations.
