California Lottery Disputes $197.5M Claim Over Lost Winning Ticket

The California Lottery is pushing back against a lawsuit demanding a $197.5 million payout from a man who claims to have purchased both winning tickets for the December 8, 2023, Mega Millions jackpot at the same gas station in Encino.

The lottery’s legal team argues that without presenting a valid winning ticket, the claimant is not entitled to the prize.

$394M Split Between Two Tickets

The $394 million jackpot was split between two tickets, both bought at the same Chevron gas station. 

The first half of the winnings, $197.5 million, was successfully claimed in June 2024 by Encino resident Faramarz Lahijani. 

Lahijani opted to stay out of the public eye, declining media requests for comment.

However, in December 2024, just days before the second ticket was set to expire, Lahijani filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court against the California Lottery, looking to retrieve the unclaimed jackpot amount.

According to his legal complaint, the man insists he is the rightful winner of both winning tickets and that he should, therefore, be entitled to receive the full jackpot. 

His argument is built on the claim that he “timely submitted the first matching ticket,” which should entitle him to receive the entire prize.

Despite being unable to produce the second ticket as he claims he cannot find it, Lahijani took legal action before its expiration, stating it was done “out of an abundance of caution to preserve all rights which he has to the entire December 8, 2023, Mega Millions jackpot.”

California Lottery Stands Firm on Its Position 

The California Lottery, however, remains firm on its position. In a recent court filing ahead of an October 29 hearing before Judge Lia Martin, the lottery’s attorneys reaffirmed their stance, citing game rules and state regulations.

“Payment of a Mega Millions prize without the submission of a valid winning ticket is expressly barred by the Mega Millions game Rules and by applicable California statutes and regulations,” the filing states.

Lahijani explained that he has been using the same set of numbers for 30 years—21, 26, 53, 66, 70, and the Mega number 13—chosen by his children. However, why he purchased two identical tickets continues to remain a mystery.

Lottery officials confirmed that the tickets were bought in “two separate transactions,” an unprecedented action. 

While some speculated that the man may have chosen to make the two separate purchases because he was superstitious, others believe he mistakenly bought the same numbers. 

A few have even wondered whether his original intentions were to buy the second ticket for someone else, which Lahijani firmly denied.

According to Lahijani, the lottery has enough evidence to recognize him as the sole winner. He contends that purchasing a lottery ticket establishes a contractual agreement with the California Lottery, which he alleges has been violated by their refusal to pay out the remaining funds.

In 2023, we also reported on Jose Rivera, a man claiming to be the rightful owner of what was then considered the biggest lottery jackpot on the planet. 

Rivera filed a lawsuit against the person who proved to be the rightful winner, Edwin Castro, and former landlord Urachi F., despite being hit with skepticism and potential legal charges, but, similar to Lahijani, was determined to continue seeking his truth in court.