Divorces are ugly affairs, and they seldom end amicably, but the case of a mum who won a lottery prize worth millions mere weeks after she broke free is a fresh example of the lengths some people could go to.
While the case of a man and woman long-separated was supposed to end on good terms, with the property split up, the sudden appearance of a multi-million dollar ticket suddenly changed the gentle parting, turning it into a tangled court battle instead.
Mom Wins Big from the Lottery, Ex-Hubby Says He Is Owed Money
The woman ended up winning $5.8 million from the lottery only a few weeks after she obtained a divorce, but the life-changing amount elicited one final retaliatory act from her ex-husband, who sought to claim a share of the prize.
Luckily, this affair is now behind Ana Varela, who defeated her former spouse in court, and will get to keep the full amount of the money, in a decision that feels almost like a cosmic payback.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that Daniel Monteiro, the ex-hubby, had no actual claim to the money. Morreiro sought to prove that the divorce was not, in fact, properly finalized when the win occurred, due to paperwork errors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Morreiro wanted to prove to the court that Varela bought the ticket while they were legally married and thus he would be entitled to half of the money. However, the court investigated further and confirmed the exact date of the divorce finalization as October 8, 2020.
This was at least 20 days before Varela bought her ticket, which later turned out to be a winner, at the end of that month.
Yes, a Clerical Error Did Occur – It Did Not Invalidate the Marriage
Monteiro and Varela had been separated for several years before their divorce, with the separation taking place several years into their marriage in 2007. A divorce was finally filed for by Varela in February 2020 and finalized on October 8, 2020, as confirmed by the court.
Up to the point where the lottery ticket appeared, Monteiro appeared content with separating legally from his wife, but in 2021 he pushed his case in the courts, arguing that the divorce was never formally finalized due to paperwork errors.
The error was indeed recognized by the Family Court as well as the Supreme Court, with both courts accepting the argument that there was indeed a paperwork error. However, both courts argued that the clerical error did not invalidate the divorce.