Maine newspapers can ask to unseal parts of lawsuit from $1.35B lottery winner, judge rules

A Maine news nonprofit wants a judge to unseal details of a lawsuit from a Mainer who won a $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot and then sued the mother of his child for allegedly violating a non-disclosure agreement. A federal judge ruled Friday that the nonprofit can make motions, including requests to unseal some records. After the man won the money in January 2023, he and the woman agreed to keep the win confidential until their daughter turned 18 in 2032, according to a lawsuit filed in November 2023 U.S. District Court in Portland. However, the man alleges the woman broke the agreement by telling his family members about the lottery win. The lawsuit was filed anonymously, with the man named “John Doe” and the woman named “Sara Smith.” His identity was kept secret when he used LaKoma Island Investments LLC to collect his lump sum winnings of $723 million after taxes. The winning ticket was purchased at Hometown Gas and Grill in Lebanon. The Maine Trust for Local News, which owns the Portland Press Herald and 22 other news organizations, asked federal judge John Woodcock to unseal the court records, including the lottery winner’s request for anonymity, Woodcock’s decision to allow anonymous filings, the complaint and the amended complaint. The organization is not asking for the man’s identity to be unsealed at this time, but it may request it in the future. It also does not oppose redacting the child’s name. Woodcock allowed Maine Trust’s request on Friday, and now the lottery winner and the woman have 21 days to file an objection. The nonprofit will then have 14 days to respond. Judges will typically allow confidentiality in cases involving medical information and sexual abuse, but winning the lottery does not have an argument for privacy that outweighs the “strong presumption in favor of public access to judicial records,” the Maine Trust for Local News’ filing said. The man filed the lawsuit anonymously because of a specific threat of physical and emotional harm to himself and his daughter. He said at least one person sent him “threatening communications” after discovering his identity. However, that communication is filed under seal so the Maine Trust for Local News hasn’t been able to review the document to see if the threats are substantiated, the nonprofit said in the filing. Correction: A previous version of this story had an inaccurate headline and incorrect information about the judge’s ruling. The judge has not ruled that the Maine Trust for Local News may know the identity of the lottery winner. Federal judge John Woodcock has ruled the nonprofit can make motions, including requests to unseal records in the case.