Jackpot Winner Says He Also Bought Second Unclaimed Winning Ticket

LOS ANGELES, CA — The man who won half of a $394 million California Lottery jackpot claims he bought both winning tickets but misplaced the second winning ticket, leading to the second half of the jackpot expiring unclaimed over the weekend. Now he is suing the California lottery in one of the more unusual cases in lottery history.

According to Faramarz Lahijani's Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, he bought two tickets for the Mega Millions jackpot on Dec. 8, 2023 at a Chevron station on Ventura Boulevard in Encino. Lahijani said he has used the same numbers for 30 years while playing the lottery, and they were chosen by his children.

Both tickets had the numbers 21, 26, 53, 66, 70 and the Mega Ball number 13. Lahijani claimed the first prize this past summer, valued at $197,500,000 when split in half.

At the time of the drawing, California Lottery officials said they were not sure if such a coincidence had ever happened before.

On Friday, Lahijani filed a breach of contract suit and a claim with the lottery commission on Dec. 4 ahead of the Saturday deadline. The suit states Lahijani is the only winner because, "by virtue of his having timely submitted the first matching ticket, plaintiff is entitled to the entirety of the jackpot."

A California Lottery spokesperson issued a statement Monday regarding the lawsuit.

"It would not be appropriate for the California Lottery to comment on an active lawsuit or any pending litigation to protect the integrity of the process involved," the statement read.

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City News Service contributed to this report