*A Michigan court has ruled that a Detroit man who won a $80 million lottery jackpot must share his winnings with his ex-wife.
Richard A. Zelasko won the Mega Millions jackpot in 2013, nearly two years after filing for divorce from his wife, Mary. But their divorce wasn’t finalized until 2018, so Mary felt entitled to a cut of the payout, MSN reports reports.
The $80 million Mega Millions prize resulted in a $38.8 million payout, and Mary Beth was awarded $15 million by an arbitrator, per the Oakland Press.
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After taxes and deductions, Rich Zelasko’s Mega Millions winnings amounted to $38,873,628, according to court documents.​ https://t.co/fSK4bBWCvu
— FOX4 News (@fox4kc) June 21, 2019
An attorney for Rich said in a court filing, “Rich was lucky, but it was his luck, not Mary’s, that produced the lottery proceeds.”
The arbitrator determined that due to their legal status as a couple at the time Rich purchased the ticket, it’s marital property. Zelasko also hadn’t contributed to the support of the couple’s three children, so that was factored into the decision as well.
The Michigan Appeals court sided with the Oakland County Circuit Court judge who ruled in Mary Beth’s favor, noting “that was probably not the first lottery ticket that defendant purchased during the marriage and that, ‘[a]s losses throughout the marriage were incurred jointly, so should winnings be shared jointly.'”
Fair decision? Sound off in the comments below.
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