A woman who filed a lawsuit against the Texas Lottery after it didn’t pay out her $83.5m win in February has won her case. Kristen Moriarty will get the full jackpot payout, minus the $11m that goes towards the IRS to cover the prize’s tax obligations.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick questioning the integrity of the state lottery
It ends a long-running saga in the state regarding lottery courier services, with Moriarty’s win in February coming after she used a courier service to purchase the ticket. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick questioned the integrity of the state lottery after it denied her the win:
This led to the resignation of the Texas Lottery Commissioner Clark Smith and proposals to completely ban lottery couriers, with more hard-stanced lawmakers wanting to abolish the lottery altogether.
Moriarty hired legal counsel after not receiving her payout, and in an anonymous interview in March she described how she felt that she was caught up in a “political tornado of controversy.”
An investigation also commenced into another controversial draw in April 2023. On that occasion, a company named Rook TX bought nearly every possible ticket combination with the help of couriers to win the $95m jackpot.
