A Mega Millions player who claimed to have had two winning tickets but lost one of them will not receive the second half of a nearly $400 million jackpot, according to court papers filed Monday (January 24) and obtained by the San Bernardino Sun.
Faramarz Lahijani, of Encino, was granted half of the $394 million from the December 8, 2023 lottery drawing, but not the full amount, after attorneys representing the California Lottery and the California State Lottery Commission claimed his story didn’t correlate with the facts in the case and that he didn’t follow the game’s rules while claiming his prize.
“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,” the attorneys said.
The California Attorney General’s Office argued that the case should be dismissed due to the game’s requirements, according to the newspaper. Lahijani filed a lawsuit for breach of contract against the California Lottery on December 4, 2024, claiming he purchased two tickets that had the same numbers he’d chosen for decades — 21, 26, 53, 66, 70 and a No. 13 Mega Ball — from an Encino gas station.
The plaintiff provided one lottery ticket in June 2024, which paid half of the total jackpot, before claiming to have lost a second ticket when he submitted a claim on December 4, three days prior to the deadline to claim the prize, and filed the breach of contract suit on December 6.
“By virtue of his having timely submitted the first matching ticket, plaintiff is entitled to the entirety of the jackpot,” his attorney claimed in the suit via the San Bernardino Sun.
Lahijani, however, admitted to not having the ticket, which nullified his chances of receiving a second $197.5 million payout in adherence with California Lottery rules, according to court records. The December 2023 Mega Millions drawing did have two jackpot winners, though the owner of the missing ticket’s identity was never confirmed.
Recent Comments