Report: $560M Powerball winner losing $14K a day in interest, attorney says

A New Hampshire woman who says she won a $560 million Powerball jackpot in January is losing about $14,000 a day in interest as she fights a legal battle to remain anonymous, according to her attorney, the New Hampshire Union Leader reports.

“Time is of the essence in this matter,” said the attorney, Steven Gordon, who is representing the winner known as Jane Doe in court documents. “For every day that a resolution is delayed, Ms. Doe loses approximately $14,000 that would be generated in interest on the after-tax cash prize amount of approximately $268 million.”

The $560 million ticket amounts to a $352 million lump-sum cash prize, before taxes. 

“Regardless of whether the court ultimately decides in her favor, Ms. Doe has a strong interest in seeing this matter resolved as quickly as possible so that the prize can be claimed without further loss of interest,” Gordon said, the Union Leader reported. 

A New Hampshire state judge is deciding whether to allow the woman to stay anonymous. Judge Charles Temple heard arguments Tuesday from lawyers for the woman and the state, and he didn’t indicate when he would rule.

The woman identified as Jane Doe filed a complaint in Hillsborough Superior Court in Nashua saying she signed the back of the ticket following the Jan. 6 drawing for the nation’s eighth-largest lottery jackpot ever. 

Under New Hampshire law, a lottery winner’s name, town and prize amount are public information. But after the woman contacted a lawyer, she learned that she could have shielded her identity by writing the name of a trust instead of her own name on the ticket.

The woman described herself as a lifelong New Hampshire resident and “engaged community member.”

“She wishes to continue this work and the freedom to walk into a grocery store or attend public events without being known or targeted as the winner of a half-billion dollars,” the complaint said. “She wishes to remain in New Hampshire and give back to the state and community that has given so much to her.”

The filing says she has set up a trust and plans to contribute a portion of her winnings to charity.

The state lottery commission says releasing her information will help ensure transparency and doesn’t put her safety at risk.