$338 Million Powerball Winner Pedro Quezada Fights Former Girlfriend In Court
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A New Jersey man who won a $338 million Powerball jackpot, among the largest lottery winnings, is embroiled in a court fight with his former girlfriend over the money.
Pedro Quezada of Passaic was the sole winner of the Powerball drawing last spring, worth about $152 million after taxes.
His lawyer argues that Inez Sanchez has no claim to the money because the couple were never married.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But attorneys for Sanchez say Quezada purchased the ticket based on the couple's shared earnings. Sanchez and Quezada lived together for 10 years, have a child together, and shared ownership of a grocery store in Passaic, attorneys say.
Superior Court Chancery Judge Margaret Mary McVeigh refused to dismiss the lawsuit and she denied a request from Sanchez to freeze Quezada's lottery winnings, pending the outcome of a trial to determine if she is entitled to a share of the money, The Record reported Saturday.
The judge said Friday that while the couple's relationship was long-term and Sanchez contributed to the household, the court has no legal framework for restraining Quezada's assets.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sanchez has moved out of the recently purchased Clifton home the couple shared and has filed a domestic violence claim against Quezada, The Record reported. Quezada's attorney declined to comment on that claim.
Sanchez's attorney says that a large chunk of the lottery winnings is already gone, claiming $57 million has been sent to Quezada's native Dominican Republic, $5 million was given away, $300,000 was spent on the home in Clifton, and $20 million can't be located, the newspaper reported.
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