Does the wife deserve the money?
A Michigan man who won 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.
Because of this, Mills demanded that $15 million be awarded to Mary Beth (After taxes), according to court documents. Their divorce was finalized in 2018, the Free Press reports.
Dick’s attorney Scott G. Bassett, however, argued in court that “Rich was lucky, but it was his luck, not Mary’s, that produced the lottery proceeds,” per the court filing.