John Cheeks, a resident of Washington DC who thought he had won a jackpot of 340 million US dollars, has filed a lawsuit against Powerball and the DC Lottery for damages in the amount of the jackpot, plus accumulated interest totalling 340 million US dollars, with the institutions claiming that Cheeks’ numbers were mistakenly published, on Monday, the 19th of February, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
Court documents revealed that Powerball and DC-based lottery contractor Taoti Enterprises attributed the misunderstanding to a technical error. On the 6th of January 2023, the day Cheeks bought his ticket, Powerball’s test numbers were accidentally posted on the website during a quality check and matched Cheeks’ numbers. These numbers were displayed online until the 9th of January.
The published numbers did not match the lottery numbers which had been drawn,
a lottery employee explained in court.
Cheeks sued on eight separate counts, including breach of contract, negligence, causing emotional distress and fraud.
His lawyer, Richard Evans, argued that since the winning numbers matched Cheeks’, he was entitled to either the full jackpot or compensation for the lottery’s “gross negligence” in publishing the erroneous numbers.
Evans told the BBC that this
lawsuit calls into question the integrity of the lottery’s operations and its ability to take responsibility.
“It’s not just about numbers on a website,” he said, stressing that the institution offers life-changing opportunities while making large profits in the process, which in turn raises concerns about the credibility of the institution.
Cheek told the BBC he was hopeful, adding that winning the lottery would have been life-changing for him and his family. If he wins the lawsuit, he plans to open a housing trust bank to help future homeowners.
The next court hearing in this case is scheduled for the 23rd of February.
The odds of winning the jackpot in the US are extremely slim – one in 292.2 million. But the odds of being struck by lightning in the next year are higher – one in 1.22 million, according to the US National Weather Service.
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