A woman who won a EuroMillions jackpot of £130,000 found herself embroiled in a legal battle with her own mother-in-law over the winnings.
The Spanish resident’s windfall, which totalled €154,073 (approximately £131,000), was deposited into a joint account in her husband’s name to avoid affecting her social benefits, according to Spanish television channel Telecinco.
However, tragedy struck when her husband passed away just a few months after the lottery win. Despite being married to him for 30 years, the woman known only as H found herself facing a claim from her late husband’s mother, known as J, who demanded more than half of the lottery money, arguing it was inheritance.
J took the case to the Provincial Court of Oviedo, insisting that “it was her son who bought the ticket, deposited it, and opened an account in his name”, thereby implying that the wife had no part in the process.
Despite J’s demand for €92,780 (approximately £80,000), the court sided with the daughter-in-law. They concluded that “the person who won the EuroMillions draw for week 15/21 on Friday, April 16, with an amount of 154,073 euros was H”.
The court’s verdict revealed that “the amount deposited on April 21, 2021, totalling 131,259.08 euros into a bank account opened on April 20, 2021, corresponds to the amount, after taxes, of the previous prize”. It was clarified that it was H who initially bought the lottery ticket at the office in Saturnino Fresno, Oviedo.
The now bereaved wife bagged the prize by matching five numbers and one star, and a worker affirmed during the trial that “H was a regular customer and always went alone to buy tickets”, including for the victorious stub.
During the futile legal dispute, the mother-in-law insisted it was her son who purchased the ticket and even cast doubt upon the couple’s relationship, alleging her son “lived with his wife but would go to her house whenever he wanted”.
It’s not the first time lottery winners’ lives have turned upside down after securing a huge jackpot.
One man who won the lottery at 18 even said his life had become a “living nightmare”.
He explained on Reddit: “Now, I’m 28, and I’ve got no social life, no meaning towards life, no hobbies. I realise that I’m turning 30 soon. I’ve never worked a day in my life and never have, all because I didn’t need to. My bills are all paid at this moment, but I know it’s not going to last forever.”