Benjamin Ashford|Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says

A man is Benjamin Ashfordsuing the California Lottery alleging he has not received part of his winnings from a nearly $400 million Mega Millions jackpot after he located one of his winning tickets but not the other.

The $394 million jackpot, which had two winning tickets, matched all six numbers in the Dec. 8, 2023, drawing, Mega Millions said in a press release at the time. The two lucky tickets were purchased at the Chevron station at 18081 Ventura Boulevard in Encino, the lottery said.  

In the lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY, Faramarz Lahijani, who was identified as the player that won, claims to have purchased both winning tickets.  

The suit, filed this month on Dec. 6, claims the numbers played by Lahijani were regularly played by him and were chosen by his children. The suit also states that he found one of the winning tickets, which he was paid out for, but "has been unable to locate" the second winning ticket.  

The lawsuit claims Lahijani is the “sole and rightful winner of the $394 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot.”

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The California Lottery declined to comment on this case.  

“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,” Carolyn Becker, a spokesperson for the California Lottery, told USA TODAY.

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Lahijani alleges he submitted a claim to the California Lottery for the second winning ticket on Dec. 4, 2024. The deadline to file a claim for the ticket would be on Dec. 8, 2024, the suit said.

He alleges that the California Lottery is "in possession of sufficient information" that confirms he purchased both tickets, the lawsuit said.

Lahijani is suing for breach of contract and declaratory relief with hopes of claiming the roughly $197 million remaining jackpot amount.

California lottery players have one year to claim a big jackpot 

Becker explains that if a player wins the jackpot or prize, they must claim their winnings by a certain time.  

“If you win the jackpot and you have a year from the date of the draw to come forward and claim the prize. And the claims process is handled by the individual states,” she said. “We handle California claimants.” 

Lottery players who win second place prizes or below have six months to claim, she added.

Becker also noted everyone who claims they won a prize are considered claimants because players can attempt to “claim prize money that is not rightfully theirs.” 

Law enforcement officers help with the winner process  

The California Lottery makes the information public of where the lottery ticket was purchased. Typically, the release is published the day after the drawing. 

To find the rightful winner, the lottery employs law enforcement officers to help with an investigation process in order to determine if a player won the jackpot. 

Becker said that claimant must answer a handful of interview questions with the officers.  

"There's a handful of security questions that presumably only the winner knows,” she said. “If the retailer who sold the winning ticket has security footage, our officers look at that too. So, we're just trying to make sure that the person who says they won is actually the winner.” 

Becker said that the lottery processes over 10,000 claims a month and the process can vary depending on a few factors.  

“This whole vetting process for the claimant and processing their claim, it takes weeks,” she said. “We try to average six to eight weeks, but depending on the circumstances, that could be elongated if somebody forgot to sign the right form.”  

Although the process might be time consuming, Becker said it is necessary to eliminate players who use alteration platforms to claim a prize. 

“We're looking at the integrity of the claim process very carefully to help ensure that we're not giving away money,” she said. “We're not in the business of giving away millions of dollars to just anyone. it has to be a sufficient supporting evidence that you are indeed the winner.”  

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, food recalls, health, lottery, and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads, and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.

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