The presently unnamed victor of the $1.35 billion Mega Millions prize from January 2023 filed a lawsuit against the mother of his child in November 2023, alleging that she breached a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) by revealing the win to his father and stepmother. 

In court documents, the plaintiff and defendant are identified by the pseudonyms “John Doe” and “Sara Smith,” respectively. 

Leaky Mouths 

The plaintiff seeks a court order to stop Smith from revealing any additional details regarding the jackpot. He seeks for the court to compel Smith to identify all individuals she informed and to pay compensatory damages of "an amount to be determined at trial, but not less than $100K for each unauthorized disclosure." 

The NDA was established to “ensure the safety and security of John Doe, the defendant, and their daughter, and to prevent the irreversible damage” that could result from the media or public learning their identities and location, as stated in the lawsuit. 

Maine is among the few states that permit lottery winners to remain anonymous when claiming prizes. However, this privilege does not apply to lottery winners suing their former partners, as stated by US District Judge John Woodcock. 

Woodcock on Thursday rejected Doe’s plea for a private trial, stating that it would contradict “the traditional idea of what courts represent and what they do not in this nation.” 

Although the judge acknowledged the plaintiff's safety worries, he remarked that “financial status alone is not a valid justification to limit public access rights.” 

Disputed Facts 

In recently submitted documents in the case, both Smith and the man's father assert that Doe personally informed his parents about the victory. Doe also insisted that his father cease communicating with Smith, leading to a rift between the two men.

"I told him… ‘You are not the son I knew,’” claimed the father in court documents. “He got angry, calling me a ‘dictator’ and an ‘a***hole.’ I have not heard from my son since, and he has not done any of [the] things he promised.”

Smith alleges in a court filing that Doe has hired a security team that allegedly follows her and her daughter around daily.

She has also claimed that the lawsuit is a ruse to pressure her into handing over custody of her daughter to her ex.