A Florida woman is finally getting her day in court to discuss her estranged husband’s legal responsibilities. The woman claims that her husband was part of a lottery pool with co-workers at American Airlines where he worked in 2007. The group won a lottery valued at an estimated $19 million. According to reports, the husband kept his winnings a secret from his wife. By the time she conducted an Internet search and discovered the truth, her husband had disappeared.
The woman began an arduous legal battle for the proper division of marital property. In 2008, she attempted to bring her husband to court but was unable to locate him. The court eventually dropped her case due to a lack of evidence.
According to recent news reports, the woman is now attempting to bring her husband to court in a different county. She feels she is legally owed half of what her husband won from the lottery in 2007. Her legal team remains committed to ensuring that she gets what is legally owed to her.
The woman caught a glimpse of her husband for the first time in several years during mediation in 2011. The couple did not speak directly to each other or even make eye contact. Her estranged husband remained tight-lipped during recent meetings between legal teams.
A complex property division case like this one often takes the skill of an experienced divorce lawyer. Property division can be especially difficult if one spouse is dishonest about their assets or attempting to hide information from the courts.
Source: WSVN-TV, “Estranged married couple fight over lotto winnings,” Jan. 16, 2013