Lottery winner must pay half to ex

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A Michigan man who beat the odds to win the Mega Million lottery has been forced to split the earnings with his ex-wife amid their divorce.

Richard “Dick” Zelasko was thrilled to learn that he won the $80 million jackpot back in 2013 — that is until an arbitrator told him that half of his winnings would be going to his soon-to-be ex-wife Mary Beth Zelasko, whom he was involved in a divorce settlement with, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Though Dick and Mary Beth, who married in 2004 and share three children, were separated for two years at the time he won the Mega Million, a Michigan appeals court ruled that the Pontiac native must pay his ex-wife half the winnings, as their divorce was not yet final.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Dick won the $80 million jackpot in July 2013 but took home $38,873,628 after taxes and deductions.

(more)

https://people.com/human-interest/michigan-man-wins-lottery-divorce-pay-half-ex-wife/

 

The report I heard was that the divorce was not final, when he won the money. Sounds too me like he shot his mouth off too soon. Should have put the ticket in a safe deposit box, and stayed quiet for awhile. After a certain amount of time,ex's tend to loose track of each other, etc.
 
I don't think it will hurt him to share. They have 3 kids, she'll probably use a lot of for the kids anyway.

I don't know if waiting till after the divorce was final would help. The Lottery Commission knows what date the win occurred and that is probably what they'd go by.
 
Linda said:
I don't think it will hurt him to share. They have 3 kids, she'll probably use a lot of for the kids anyway.

I don't know if waiting till after the divorce was final would help. The Lottery Commission knows what date the win occurred and that is probably what they'd go by.
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Exactly. The 'win' date is on the ticket. :)
 
Linda said:
I don't think it will hurt him to share. They have 3 kids, she'll probably use a lot of for the kids anyway.

I don't know if waiting till after the divorce was final would help. The Lottery Commission knows what date the win occurred and that is probably what they'd go by.
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I'd say some of that would depend on fine print in the state laws?

But the sharing part I agree with.
 
I read the article even before checking in on the forum. His after tax take was $30 million. So she gets $15 million. Hey, he still gets $15 million. And if he were a good dad, he would have shared at least with his kids, anyway. I am not crying tears for him.
 
Well, he was legally married to her when he won the lottery. I'm sure he would use the same laws if his wife won the lottery, before they were legally divorced.
But, today, winning the lottery is a hassle. If you win big, people come out of the woodwork suing you. And because of all the legalities of these nonsense suits, you may not get to spend a dime for several years.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
Well, he was legally married to her when he won the lottery. I'm sure he would use the same laws if his wife won the lottery, before they were legally divorced.
But, today, winning the lottery is a hassle. If you win big, people come out of the woodwork suing you. And because of all the legalities of these nonsense suits, you may not get to spend a dime for several years.
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People sue the winners? Over what? Saying they should be cut in for a share or something? I never heard of this, FB. I have heard that lottery winners are besieged by all manner of long-lost distant relatives as well as strangers with long, sad sob stories.
 
dont know how the privacy works in the states but in the UK. private means just that - in the sense that only he would have known no one else unless he told someone .. no media unless u choose it in uk ..but bet the wife was pleased in the end !
 
toffee said:
dont know how the privacy works in the states but in the UK. private means just that - in the sense that only he would have known no one else unless he told someone .. no media unless u choose it in uk ..but bet the wife was pleased in the end !
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Here in US there are only 6 states where lottery winner can remain anonymous.
Even so, nothing is "private" from the IRS, child support, or student loans.
Then there is the matter of people talking too much. Loose lips sink ships.
 
I'm no attorney. But I could initiate a suit for almost any reason. That doesn't mean it won't get tossed out in a second. Most of the suits are about sharing in the prize-no heads up there. You bought the ticket in with a bunch of people or something like that. You promised to pay someone if you won, etc. Most are nusense suits, which will be withdrawn for a few $$$. In the USA, in most states , you have to agree to be on TV, newspapers, etc if you win, or you won't get paid. I have a cousin who won the R.I. lottery years ago. Her name & address were in the phone book. People were knocking on her door 24 hrs/day asking for money. She hated it when they brought their sick kids, begging for money for medical treatments @ 3:45 AM. She had to call the cops a lot for about a year.
 
If I won a big lottery prize, before cashing the ticket I'd rent a house in a gated community with 24/7 security guards. Since I only buy lottery tickets about 4 times a year, this isn't a very likely event.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I'm no attorney. But I could initiate a suit for almost any reason. That doesn't mean it won't get tossed out in a second. Most of the suits are about sharing in the prize-no heads up there. You bought the ticket in with a bunch of people or something like that. You promised to pay someone if you won, etc. Most are nusense suits, which will be withdrawn for a few $$$. In the USA, in most states , you have to agree to be on TV, newspapers, etc if you win, or you won't get paid. I have a cousin who won the R.I. lottery years ago. Her name & address were in the phone book. People were knocking on her door 24 hrs/day asking for money. She hated it when they brought their sick kids, begging for money for medical treatments @ 3:45 AM. She had to call the cops a lot for about a year.
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Seems she would have been able to afford to get an unlisted number, hire private security ...or move.
 
$38,873,628 is what he received seems like even half of that would be enough for him to live on and his almost exwife and children should get half.We are talking about close to $20 million dollars a piece.It seems like more than enough for him to live a good life.​
​
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I'm no attorney. But I could initiate a suit for almost any reason. That doesn't mean it won't get tossed out in a second. Most of the suits are about sharing in the prize-no heads up there. You bought the ticket in with a bunch of people or something like that. You promised to pay someone if you won, etc. Most are nusense suits, which will be withdrawn for a few $$$. In the USA, in most states , you have to agree to be on TV, newspapers, etc if you win, or you won't get paid. I have a cousin who won the R.I. lottery years ago. Her name & address were in the phone book. People were knocking on her door 24 hrs/day asking for money. She hated it when they brought their sick kids, begging for money for medical treatments @ 3:45 AM. She had to call the cops a lot for about a year.
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I would just tell her. "See if you stuck with me you would have got it all instead of half"

Anyway I hope he doesn't have to pay all the income tax on it before splitting it.
 
Sassycakes said:
$38,873,628 is what he received seems like even half of that would be enough for him to live on and his almost exwife and children should get half.We are talking about close to $20 million dollars a piece.It seems like more than enough for him to live a good life.​
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Lottery winnings are taxable in the United States are they not? So a fair chunk would go to the IRS. Now if he has to pay the tax before splitting I would think that would be extremely unfair.
 
Nobody had much experience with lottery winners back then. My cousin was the second winner in the state's lottery., in the mid 1960s. Getting on TV with the big card board check was a condition of winning. She got $50,000 ($37,000 after taxes). It was good size hunk of change, but you weren't going to live on it for the rest of your life. She & her husband had bought a home a year earlier, so moving was out of the question. She couldn't undo her number and address in the phone book. They found out that "unlisted" meant it wasn't in a free published phone book, but they were available in directories for companies, anybody could buy.
Today, my advice, if you won, was keep your mouth shut, tell NO ONE_-NOBODY- NO FAMILY-NOBODY, and get a lawyer before you do anything.
 
Marie5656 said:
I read the article even before checking in on the forum. His after tax take was $30 million. So she gets $15 million. Hey, he still gets $15 million. And if he were a good dad, he would have shared at least with his kids, anyway. I am not crying tears for him.
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So he pays the tax and she get the half after the tax. Now in all fairness? Is that fair?
 
Camper6 said:
So he pays the tax and she get the half after the tax. Now in all fairness? Is that fair?
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:confused:

The taxes must be paid, prior to payout to anyone. The taxes come from the jackpot money, not from husband's wallet. Okay, so you don't think taxes are fair. :shrug:
 
applecruncher said:
:confused:

The taxes must be paid, prior to payout to anyone. The taxes come from the jackpot money, not from husband's wallet. Okay, so you don't think taxes are fair. :shrug:
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From what I read. He held the ticket and he collected after taxes. So he is paying the taxes and he will have to report the winnings on his tax return. She gets the winning amount after taxes and I'm guessing she will not have to report her portion as the tax on it has already been paid. So as Amos said to Andy. You bought a stucco house and you are the stuckee.

There is no such thing as a fair tax.
 
Camper6, you are forgetting they are married when he wins the lottery. It's community property-they both own it. The taxes are paid before anyone gets a cent. HE does not pay all the taxes and the wife doesn't. They both share the tax burden equally, and share the rest equally.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
Camper6, you are forgetting they are married when he wins the lottery. It's community property-they both own it. The taxes are paid before anyone gets a cent. HE does not pay all the taxes and the wife doesn't. They both share the tax burden equally, and share the rest equally.
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If he held the winning ticket he has to report the win and the taxes on his tax return unless they bought the ticket jointly. That would put him in a separate tax bracket. That's why it went to court. She reports half on her tax return and might have to pay tax on it. It depends on the tax rules and the state. It's not that simple. I'm not sure but I don't think they have joint returns in the U.S.
 

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