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Read Full BioMega Millions winner Faramarz Lahijani wanted to claim another $197.5 million jackpot, but a judge has dismissed his case against the California Lottery.
Lahijani argues he bought two identical tickets, but lost one. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu ruled that, with no ticket, he cannot claim the prize.
Treu also dismissed claims brought by another California resident who tried to claim the prize. Cheryl Wilson said she bought the winning ticket, but also lost it. Judge Treu ruled she does not have a case.
Duplicate Ticket Going Unclaimed
Lahijani claimed he bought two tickets for the Mega Millions jackpot in December 2023 at a Chevron station on Ventura Boulevard in Encino, using the same numbers he has for three decades.
The lottery confirmed that both winning tickets for that drawing had the numbers 21, 26, 53, 66, 70, and the Mega Ball number 13, and that they were both sold at the Chevron.
Initially, Lahijani only claimed one jackpot, producing the winning ticket in June 2024. He was unable to produce the other ticket he claims he bought before the one-year deadline to claim the prize. Instead, he filed a lawsuit against the Lottery just days before the deadline in December 2024.
The Lottery, however, said it cannot award winnings without a valid ticket, which would violate state law. In its court filing, it wrote, “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.”
It has taken over a year for the case to conclude, with Judge Treu issuing his judgment on Monday. As a result, the remaining $197.5 million of the $395 million jackpot will not be awarded.
Woman Claims Winning Ticket Stolen
Wilson, who intervened in the case to declare herself the ticketless winner, said that her winning ticket was stolen by a former employer.
In her court filing, she said she believes the Lottery knows that she bought the ticket, stating, “I am informed and believe that the California Lottery maintains records capable of identifying the purchaser and validating ownership through retailer verification, signature, timing, and transaction data.”
Judge Treu dismissed her claim, stating, “Allowing intervention on the facts asserted by Wilson would transform this action into a wide-ranging dispute over alleged theft, fraud, conspiracy, and Wilson’s contractual rights.”
Wilson had indicated she was willing to settle for less than the $197.5 million she claimed she had won. The Lottery was unwilling to entertain her claim because she had no ticket.
In Texas, the state’s lottery settled a dispute with a woman who won an $83.5 million jackpot. The woman eventually settled for $43.5 million.
In that case, however, she had produced the winning ticket. The dispute came over using a third-party courier to buy the ticket, something the state moved to ban following her win.
