Edwin Castro — a Southern California man who made history in November 2022 as the winner of the largest jackpot in U.S. history — will hang on to his jaw-dropping $2.04 billion after a judge tossed a lawsuit filed by a person who claimed he was the rightful owner of the winning ticket.
In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Feb. 22, 2023, a man named Jose Rivera alleged he was the person who purchased the ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, Calif. on Nov. 7, 2022 — a day before the draw.
The ticket was then stolen from him before ending up in Castro’s hands, according to the personal injury lawsuit, which was filed against Castro, the California State Lottery Commission and other defendants.
But according to court documents obtained by TMZ, a Los Angeles County judge has ruled that “players are solely responsible for securing their Tickets against theft, loss, damage, or destruction.” If Rivera believed the ticket was stolen from him, he should have alerted police at the time.
“The person in possession of a … winning lottery ticket … is the presumptive owner/winner,” according to the ruling.
The judge had tentatively dismissed the complaint last month, according to TMZ. But since Rivera didn’t file a response, the ruling is now final and the case has officially been closed.