Court Lets $560M Powerball Winner Remain AnonymousJudge Rules She Can Claim Prize Through Trust |
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Though critics say it could threaten the integrity of the lottery, a judge in New Hampshire is letting the winner of a nearly $560 million Powerball jackpot remain anonymous.
A woman identified only as Jane Doe in court papers was granted the ability to keep her identity hidden earlier this month, according to court documents. That’s despite her signing her name to the winning ticket from January, which was sold at a local convenience store.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the New Hampshire Lottery says it won’t appeal the judge’s ruling. Doe had sued the New Hampshire Lottery.
The lottery said that “the procedures in place for prize claimants are critically important for the security and integrity of the lottery, our players and our games.”
Under the rules, the woman could have wrote down the name of a trust in order to shield her identity, but her decision to put her own name on the ticket at one point seemed irreversible.
The decision in the case was issued by Judge Charles Temple of the Hillsborough County Superior Court. The judge said that her hometown can be made public.
“We won," her attorney, William Shaheen of Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., said in a statement.
“The Lottery Commission has a right to say the winner came from Merrimack, but everything else she is entitled to a right to privacy. The [Lottery] is enjoined from ever releasing her name or address permanently.”
Shaheen said that Doe was “jumping up and down” after the ruling. The court allowed the gambler to claim her prize through the Good Karma Family 2018 Nominee Trust.
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