$197.5M Mega Millions Winner Sues California Lottery for Another $197.5M

A man from Los Angeles, who claimed half of a $394 million Mega Millions prize last year, is suing the California Lottery for the remaining half. 

Faramarz Lahijani asserts that he bought two tickets with identical numbers at a Chevron gas station for the December 8, 2023, drawing, but he misplaced one. He still cannot locate it. 

Lahijani stepped up to receive the initial portion of the prize, $197.5 million, in June, but refrained from making any public comments, stating to the Lottery that he preferred not to engage with the media. 

Atypical Transaction 

It’s unclear why Lahijani decided to buy two tickets with identical numbers when one would have produced the same outcome. 

The Lottery revealed shortly after the draw that both winning tickets were purchased from the same location, a Chevron gas station on Ventura Boulevard in Encino – a first. 

A spokesperson for the Lottery mentioned that the two winning tickets were bought “through two different transactions,” but could only guess as to the reasoning. 

“While this is incredibly unusual and interesting, it’s not unheard of,” the spokesperson said. “There are any number of explanations. Perhaps one person wanted to try their luck on two different rows for whatever reason, or maybe a couple of buddies wanted to try their chances with the same exact numbers. We won’t know exactly how this happened until the prize is claimed.”

Violation of Agreement 

In the lawsuit he submitted last Friday to the Los Angeles Superior Court, Lahijani clearly outlines his claims. He asserts that he bought both winning Mega Millions tickets, is the "only winner," and is thus "entitled to the whole jackpot … due to having submitted the first matching ticket on time." 

He also claims that the Lottery possesses enough information to recognize him as the legitimate winner of the entire jackpot. The acquisition of lottery tickets establishes a contractual bond between the purchaser and the California Lottery, which is allegedly breaching by failing to make payouts, as stated in the lawsuit. 

The lawsuit was initiated only days prior to the expiration date of the supposed lost ticket, Dec. 8, 2024, "to ensure all rights to the full December 8, 2023 Mega Millions jackpot are preserved." 

The Lottery stated that it will not provide comments regarding the ongoing lawsuit. 

One entity that is pleased with the outcome is the gas station where the two winning tickets were purchased. According to California regulations, sellers of tickets priced over $1 million receive a bonus of 0.5% of the prize amount. Due to the sale of two at the Chevron in Encino—regardless of who purchased the second—it earned an unprecedented bonus of $1.9 million.