You would think that when you hit the lottery for millions, you’d be a little cheery. But when one man won -- he's known hereafter as John Doe -- he wanted his privacy. Enough so that when the Texas Attorney General ruled that the story of the winning Texas lottery ticket was a public record, Doe lawyered up and sued the AG, according to this item from Courthouse News:
“In his complaint in Travis County Court, Doe says the Lottery Commission asked him for 'a written statement describing his purchase of the winning ticket and the events that transpired prior to its presentation to the Lottery Commission for verification.'
After Doe provided the statement, the Commission claimed it received a FOIA request. Abbott's office replied by 'requiring release of the statement without redactions necessary to protect plaintiff and his family,' a ruling that Doe contests.
Doe says his statement to the Commission 'should be withheld in order to protect the common law and constitutional rights to privacy of plaintiff and his family.'"
So Uncle Ernie wants to borrow a few bucks. Is it worth a courtroom battle with the AG?
Contact Steve Miller at 832-303-9420 or stevemiller@texaswatchdog.org.
Photo of a 'Play Lottery' sign by flickr user Jim Callender, used via a Creative Commons license.
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