(CBS/AP) A man beset by problems since winning a record lottery jackpot says he can't pay a settlement to a casino worker because thieves cleaned out his bank accounts. Powerball winner Jack Whittaker gave that explanation in a note last fall to a lawyer for Kitti French, who accused him of assaulting her at the Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center, a slots-only casino near Charleston, according to a motion French's lawyer filed this week demanding payment of the confidential settlement. Although he was already a wealthy contractor, Whittaker became an instant celebrity on Christmas Day 2002 after winning a $314.9 million Powerball jackpot. He took his winnings in a lump sum of $113 million after taxes, and at a news conference in which he came across as a jolly saint, he promised to donate one-tenth to his church and contribute to other causes. He soon created a charity to help people find jobs, buy food or get an education; he split $7 million among three churches; and he gave money to improve a Little League park and buy playground equipment and coloring books for children. But his life has been marred by lawsuits and personal tragedies. He faced his granddaughter's death by drug overdose in 2005; he was sued for bouncing checks at Atlantic City, N.J., casinos; he was ordered to undergo rehab after being arrested on drunken driving charges; his vehicles and business have been burglarized; and he was sued by the father of an 18-year-old boy, a friend of his granddaughter's, who was found dead in Whittaker's house. In the latest lawsuit, Whittaker told French's lawyer, John Barrett, that "a team of crooks" cashed checks in September at 12 City National Bank branches and "got all my money," according to the motion Barrett filed Wednesday in state court. "I intend to pay but can't without any money," Whittaker wrote, according to the motion. An official with City National Bank said Friday the bank is investigating "small discrepancies" in Whittaker's accounts. Calls to Whittaker and his lawyers Friday were not immediately returned. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/12/national/main2357053.shtml
All his dough missing is a "small disrcrepancy"? I dont know, but this guy doesnt seem too bright, being that high profile is like walking around with a target on your back. Maybe he'd have been better of with the annuity.............
many cases like this one of people winning the lottery and losing it all a few years later regardless of the amount won...
I inherited some money years back, it was all gone in a few years. I got some stolen, but for the most part I just happily blew through it, I was working on my trading skills anyhow and felt that eventually that would be profitable. I don't feel bad for people that can't hang on to money, what the heck, they probably have a heck of a good time with it and when it's gone, they have to go back to doing whatever they did before, what difference does it make? I knew a couple of guys that were great at hanging on to money, here is what they had in common: boh had a couple mil in the bank, both lived in ratty unkempt houses and warehoused stuff in all the rooms, they never traveled, they had few friends, they did not go to movies/theater, I could go on but everybody knows somebody like them. I don't feel bad for people that never have any money and probably never will, that are in the US with the greatest economy of all time. If you get to know them you usually find that they have never taken any interest in earning more than enough to just have a roof/food. If they complain about being poor I just tell them to get busy and learn about money, I don't consider them to be my problem at all. I have lunch with a guy that comes from an intellectual household, he's sort of a left over Hippie, very, very knowledgeable about growing plants and computers and a few other subjects but absolutely has been impoverished his whole life while the USA economy was growing nearly continually. He talks of eating dog food a lot when he was a hippie. I told him I am flush nowadays and if he thinks of a small enough enterprise I can fund it. He never responded to the offer, it's not in his makeup to become prosperous at all. He likes it the way he is I guess, he can hold forth at the coffee shop every day of the week, I guess he has attained what he wants out of life. Anyhow, the lottery guy sounds like he's not too bright and flakey to boot. The real question I have is, if he won the lottery again, would history repeat itself?