Pontiac man must share $30 million lottery win with wife he was divorcing
PONTIAC, MI -- A Pontiac man must share half of his $30 million Mega Millions winnings with his ex-wife after an arbitrator ruled the winning ticket was marital property at the time he won, according to the Associated Press.
Rich Zelasko and his wife Mary-Beth Zelasko had been separated for more than two years while they were going through divorce proceedings when Rick won a $30 million jackpot in 2013. The arbitrator ruled Mary-Beth was entitled to money because they weren’t legally separated despite their intentions to split.
The divorce wasn’t finalized until 2018.
Rich Zelasko’s attorney wrote in a court filing "Rich was lucky, but it was his luck, not Mary’s, that produced the lottery proceeds.” However, the arbitrator did not see it that way and awarded Mary-Beth her share of the winnings this week. The couple had previously agreed to have an arbitrator make certain decisions for the couple during the divorce.
https://www.mlive.com/lottery/2019/06/pontiac-man-must-share-30-million-lottery-win-with-wife-he-was-divorcing.html
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