Man Has to Split His $30 Million Lottery Win With His Ex-Wife

The man had to hand over half the cash.
Michigan Lottery

Rich Zelasko was in the middle of a divorce when he bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket in 2013.

A Michigan man had a damper put on his $30 million lottery win when he realized he’d have to share it with his ex-wife.

Rich Zelasko was in the middle of a divorce when he bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket in 2013, the New York Daily News reported.

When his divorce was finalized in 2018, an appeals court said he’d have to split the money with his now-ex-wife. 

“Rich was lucky, but it was his luck, not Mary’s, that produced the lottery proceeds,” Zelasko’s attorney said in court filing.

But an arbitrator, whom the ex-couple had previously agreed to allow to make certain decisions during the divorce, said the money won was marital property, the paper reported.

An appeals court last week upheld the decision.

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