Utoo Radio - A individual from Washington, DC who believed he had won a jackpot worth $340 million (£270 million) has filed a lawsuit against Powerball and the DC Lottery, alleging that they inadvertently published his winning numbers.
In January 2023, John Cheeks described feeling "numb" when he first noticed that the winning numbers of the Powerball matched his ticket.
However, Mr. Cheeks's claim was denied when he presented his ticket to the Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG).
"One of the claims agents told me my ticket was no good, just to throw it in the trash can," he disclosed to the BBC.
However, Mr. Cheeks retained the ticket and contacted an attorney.
He is currently pursuing legal action against the lottery for damages amounting to the Powerball jackpot plus the daily interest he would have earned, for a grand total of $340 million.
"Inadvertent error"
Powerball and a lottery contractor, the Washington, D.C.-based Taoti Enterprises, assert in court documents that the confusion was caused by a technical error.
According to a court filing, a Taoti employee stated that a quality assurance team conducted tests on the website on January 6, 2023, the date Mr. Cheeks purchased his ticket.
"Accidentally" posted to the website on that day, according to court documents, was a set of test Powerball numbers that matched the numbers submitted by Mr. Cheeks. Until January 9th, those numbers remained online for three days.
The Taoti employee asserts that the numbers displayed online did not correspond to the numbers drawn during the previous lottery draw.
Taoti and Powerball both declined to comment in response to a request from the BBC.
Mr. Cheeks has initiated legal proceedings on eight distinct counts, which encompass negligence, breach of contract, and infliction of emotional distress. and deceit.
Legal documents indicate that Mr. Cheeks is entitled to the "entire jackpot" because the winning numbers matched his own. This was stated by Mr. Cheeks' attorney, Richard Evans. Aside from that, Mr. Evans asserts that Mr. Cheeks is entitled to compensation for the "egregious negligence" of the lottery in publishing inaccurate lottery numbers.
"This lawsuit raises critical questions about the integrity and accountability of lottery operations and the safeguards - or lack thereof - against the type of errors that Powerball and the DC Lottery contend occurred in this case," Mr Evans stated in a statement to the BBC.
"This is not merely about numbers on a website; it's about the reliability of institutions that promise life-changing opportunities, while heavily profiting in the process," according to him.
Mr. Cheeks expressed optimism to the BBC. "I am certain the justice system will prevail," he continued, adding that the lottery winnings would have significantly altered the course of his family's existence.
He intends to establish a home trust bank to assist aspiring homeowners should he be successful.
The forthcoming hearing is slated to take place on February 23rd.
The odds of Mr. Cheeks, or any other individual, obtaining the jackpot are an extremely low one in 292.2 million. The probability of experiencing a lightning strike within the upcoming year is 1 in 1.22 million, as reported by the National Weather Service of the United States.
(Source Link)
