Winner of $560M Powerball jackpot can stay anonymous, judge says
NASHUA, N.H. -- A judge has ruled that a New Hampshire woman who won a Powerball jackpot worth nearly $560 million can keep her identity private. Judge Charles Temple said in a ruling Monday that disclosing the woman's name would be an invasion of privacy.
He ruled, however, that her hometown can be released publicly.
The unidentified woman signed her ticket after the Jan. 6 drawing, but later learned from a lawyer that she could have shielded her identity by writing the name of a trust. They said she was upset after learning she was giving up her anonymity by signing the ticket -- something the lottery commission acknowledged isn't spelled out on the ticket, but is detailed on its website.
The woman's lawyers argued her privacy interests outweigh what the state said is the public's right to know who won the money in the nation's eighth-largest lottery jackpot.