Man is suing California lottery, claiming he had both tickets for a 4 million Mega Millions win
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Man is suing California lottery, claiming he had both tickets for a $394 million Mega Millions win

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

A man who claims he owned both Mega Millions tickets for the $394 million prize at the end of 2023 is now suing the California Lottery for only receiving half of the total prize.

Faramarz Lahijani filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court claiming he was only awarded 50% of the jackpot from the December 8, 2023 drawing. He claims he bought both tickets at the Chevron gas station in Encino, using the same numbers on both tickets – 21, 26, 53, 66, 70 and 13 – that he has used for 30 years. They were supposedly chosen by his children.

Read more: Nearly $200 million in Mega Millions ticket sold at Encino gas station expires this weekend

The lawsuit was filed on Friday, just hours before the second half of the huge jackpot expired. On December 4, he filed a complaint with the Lottery Commission.

When requested for comment, the California Lottery told KCAL News, “It would not be appropriate for the California Lottery to comment on an ongoing lawsuit or litigation in order to protect the integrity of the process in question.”

Lahijani is seeking the other $197.5 million he believes is his. It’s unclear why he didn’t have the second ticket to claim the prize from lottery officials.

Dean Fioresi

Dean Fioresi is a web producer for CBS Los Angeles. He reports breaking news from across Southern California. When he’s not writing about local events, he enjoys focusing on sports and entertainment.

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