Woman hides 47.9m baht lottery win from ex-husband

A woman from California, in the United States, hit the jackpot by winning a US$1.3 million lottery (47.9 million baht). Eleven days later, she decided to file for divorce from her husband of 25 years.

This incident dates back to 1996. Californian Denise Rossi kept her lottery win a secret and abruptly ended her marriage, leaving Thomas shocked and confused. He had always believed their relationship was smooth and loving. Denise even hurried him to move out quickly.

Thomas described feeling “blindsided” and “confused.”

“She wanted me to move out of the house very fast. It wasn’t like her to act this way.”

Years after the divorce, Thomas received a letter from a financial services company that assists lottery winners. This revelation led him to discover the truth about Denise’s hidden fortune, prompting him to file a lawsuit against her out of anger.

During the trial, Denise claimed that she had wanted to end the relationship with Thomas years before winning the lottery. However, the court deemed her actions as a violation of asset disclosure laws during the divorce process and considered it fraudulent.

Husband’s share

The court ordered Denise to compensate her ex-husband with an annual payment of US$66,800 (2.4 million baht) over the next 20 years.

Denise’s lawyer, Connolly Oyler, stated that if she had not concealed the lottery winnings, she might have been able to keep the money, claiming it as personal property unrelated to her ex-husband, reported the Daily Mirror.

“I could have argued successfully that it was her separate property. Or we could have argued and we would have reached some adjustment. But the judge got mad and gave it all to him.”

Denise now has to reflect on her dishonesty after the entire lottery prize was handed over to her ex-husband, leaving her with nothing.

In related news, a Thai man was left penniless after his wife ran off with her lover and his 6 million baht lottery winnings and there is nothing he can do about getting his money back.

Manit (surname reserved), a resident of the Isaan province of Roi Et, scooped the 6 million baht lottery winning first prize on November 1. The 49 year old lucky lottery winner then transferred his 5,970,000 baht winnings, after the tax deduction, into his wife’s bank account.

It was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of his life. But there is a sting to the tale because Manit’s 45 year old wife, Angkanarat (surname reserved), eloped with the money to set up a new life with her lover.