Man Sues Powerball After Being Denied $340 Million Jackpot Due to Erroneous Winning Numbers
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John Cheeks bought a Powerball ticket in January 2023 that he thought won $340 million based on posted winning numbers that matched his ticket. However, Powerball later said those were incorrect winning numbers posted in error.
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Cheeks has sued Powerball, the Multi-State Lottery Association, and the company that operates the D.C. Lottery website alleging they wrongly denied him his jackpot winnings due to "unlawful collusion."
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The company that posted the erroneous winning numbers admitted it was a mistake and that the numbers were posted as test numbers. Powerball says Cheeks attempted to wrongly capitalize on an obvious error.
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Cheeks still has the ticket in a safe deposit box as he fights in court to claim the $340 million prize. He plans to open a bank to help people struggling to buy homes if he wins the case.
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A similar situation happened in Iowa in 2013 when incorrect Powerball numbers were posted online for hours, but people were still able to claim lower-tier prizes based on the posted numbers.