Lawyers collected the check for a $559 million Powerball prize winner who is fighting to stay anonymous.
New Hampshire is one of the few states that allow winners to stay anonymous, but Jane Doe didn’t understand the legal technicalities that could have guaranteed the preservation of her anonymity, NTD reported.
She signed her winning ticket, seemingly not realizing this would prevent her from establishing a trust fund that provides the only legal cover of anonymity. After contacting lawyers, she realized the mistake. Lottery officials told her she could not revise her signature on the ticket, and so she took the issue to court, according to the NTD report.
Jane Doe and her legal team established Good Karma Family Trust in hopes of shielding her identity. She has a team of bodyguards on call to provide protection if the court forces her to reveal who she is, according to WCVB.
“I was in line this weekend getting a lottery ticket, and someone said it’s a shame they’ve got to expose everyone to the state or the country if you have a great day and win some money, and I think the citizens of New Hampshire really want to be able to protect their privacy,” said New Hampshire State Senator Kevin Cavanaugh, via WMUR.