Man sues California lottery, claiming he had both tickets for $394 million Mega Millions prize
By Dean Fioresi
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LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A man who claims that he had both of the winning Mega Millions tickets for the $394 million prize in late 2023 is now suing the California Lottery because he’s only gotten half of the total prize.
Faramarz Lahijani filed a lawsuit with the Los Angeles Superior Court that alleges he was only granted 50% of the jackpot from the Dec. 8, 2023 drawing. He claims to have purchased both tickets at the Chevron gas station in Encino, using the same numbers — 21, 26, 53, 66, 70 and 13 — on both tickets that he’s been using for the last 30 years. They were allegedly chosen by his children.
The lawsuit was filed on Friday, just hours before the second half of the massive jackpot expired. He filed a claim with the lottery commission on Dec. 4.
Upon request for comment, California Lottery told KCAL News that, “It would not be appropriate for the California Lottery to comment on an active lawsuit or any pending litigation to protect the integrity of the process involved.”
Lahijani is seeking the other $197.5 million that he believes is his. It’s unclear why he did not have the second ticket to claim the prize from lottery officials.
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