Court Dismisses Mega Millions Jackpot Co-Winner’s Claims for the Full $394M

Faramarz Lahijani, who in 2023 scored half of a $394 million jackpot from Mega Millions, has been in a court battle ever since, claiming he bought two winning tickets but lost one, entitling him to the full amount, and not just the $197.5 million he got. However, Judge Rolf M. Treu from the Los Angeles Superior Court recently disagreed with that claim.

What’s the Context of Lahijani’s Claim?

Faramarz Lahijani says he bought two Mega Millions tickets with identical numbers at a Chevron gas station for the December 8, 2023, drawing, but later lost one of them. He stepped forward in June 2024 to claim half of the jackpot, $197.5 million, without making any public statements. In December 2024, just days before the second ticket was set to expire, Lahijani filed a lawsuit against the California Lottery in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking the remaining share of the prize.

In the complaint, Lahijani maintains that he purchased both tickets and is the sole winner, contending that he is entitled to the full jackpot because he timely submitted the first winning ticket. He added that he filed the lawsuit before the expiration date out of an “abundance of caution” to protect his rights to the entire December 8, 2023, Mega Millions jackpot.

Last year, the California Lottery pushed back against the lawsuit, with its legal team arguing that Lahijani is not entitled to the full $394 million jackpot. 

Judge Dismisses Lahijani’s Case

On Monday, Judge Treu dismissed the lawsuit, siding with the California Lottery’s argument that Lahijani had not demonstrated the existence of any enforceable contract or legal obligation requiring the lottery to pay unclaimed prize money without a valid ticket.

The lottery emphasized that both game rules and California law expressly prohibit paying a prize in the absence of a physical winning ticket.

It should be noted that the situation was even more complex when another person, Cheryl Wilson, came forward claiming she was the one who had both the other winning ticket, but it was allegedly stolen by a former employer. However, Judge Treu denied her motion on the same grounds: without possession of the physical ticket, there was no legal basis for her claim. In addition, the judge said he does not want to turn the case into a “dispute over alleged theft and fraud.”

That still leaves us with the question of where the second ticket is. The California Lottery confirmed the two winning tickets were sold in separate transactions, so it’s most likely two different people independently bought tickets with the same numbers. Still, following Monday’s ruling, the remaining half of the jackpot will go unclaimed, and the full story may never be known.