By Montserrat Arqué
Jun 27, 2024, 3:44 PM EDT
In a surprising turn of events, Denise Rose, a California woman, found herself at the center of a legal controversy after winning a $1.3 million lottery prize in 1996.
What initially seemed like a stroke of luck soon turned into a financial and legal nightmare that cost him all of his prize money.
Denise and her husband Thomas had been married for 25 years when the woman won the million-dollar lottery prize. However, just 11 days after receiving the news of her big win, Denise filed for divorce. During the separation proceedings, Denise made the critical mistake of failing to declare her new lottery winnings, thus violating asset disclosure laws in California.
The story took an even more dramatic turn two years after the divorce was finalized. Thomas received a letter addressed to his ex-wife from a company that specialized in helping lottery winners receive lump sum payments for their prizes. This letter was the key that revealed to Thomas the existence of the prize that Denise had won and hidden. Wasting no time, Thomas went to court and requested a review of his ex-wife’s assets.
The judge in charge of the case determined that Denise had acted with malice and had committed fraud by failing to disclose her lottery winnings during the divorce proceedings. As a result, the judge ordered Denise to pay Thomas 20 annual installments of $66,800, which in total would add up to the amount of the lottery winnings that Denise had attempted to conceal.
Denise claimed that the judge’s decision was punishment for angering him with her actions. However, this case highlights the importance of honesty and transparency in legal processes, especially in matters as delicate as divorces and the division of assets.
This case is a stark reminder that trying to hide crucial information during a divorce process can have serious and long-lasting consequences. It is not just about financial loss, but also damage to personal credibility and reputation.
Keep reading:
* Truth or myth? The surprising “death” of a man after learning that he won $4 million in the lottery
* Family wins $1 million lottery prize with numbers honoring late mother
* Woman trusts her intuition and wins a millionaire prize in the lottery