I sued my own family to keep my winnings after I won $2million on a lottery scratch card – but I only got to keep $710K #sued #family #winnings #won #2million #lottery #scratch #card #710K #englishheadline

A LOTTERY winner has been met with a whole lot of drama after heading to court over claims regarding who was entitled to the prize money.

The Michigan man claimed that he won $2million from a scratch-off ticket, but a couple of family members believed they should be taking home the cash, too.

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Mahmoud Dabaja never expected to walk away from a Toledo truck stop with a $2million lottery ticket.

The lucky ticket was purchased in June 2010, according to a report by the Washington Times.

His celebrations were cut short when he discovered that a court case would ensue over the prize money.

He decided to bring forth a lawsuit involving three people who all believed they were entitled to some of the money.

His ex-wife, brother, and an unnamed third person reportedly made claims to the scratch-off ticket.

Dabaja decided to fight back, suing the lottery commission and the three claimants in court alleging breach of contract.

He requested that the court make a declaration that he was the sole winner entitled to the $2million prize.

But the lottery dispute didn’t go away overnight.

It took almost four years for Dabaja to take home his settlement, and it was nowhere close to the $2million he had been hoping for.

In May 2014, the Ohio Court of Claims approved Dabaja’s $710,000 settlement with the Ohio Lottery Commission on Thursday.

This was not the first time a lottery winner had to deal with a court dispute over the cash.

The California State Lottery Commission diligently checks that all players have followed the rules and found that one alleged winner’s son had purchased the scratch card while underage.

Ward Thomas from Long Beach, California, filed a lawsuit against the lottery commission, claiming damages after he said he rightfully won the $5million prize.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Terry Green dismissed Thomas’ claims that he was wrongfully denied the $5million cash prize.

Such cases have shown lottery winners that coming across a huge sum of cash can sometimes lead to court disputes and other negative consequences.