The Powerball player from New Hampshire who won $559.7 million on 6th January has finally received her money, although she was not present at the winner’s ceremony as she continues her legal fight to remain anonymous. New Hampshire does not allow Powerball winners to remain anonymous, as there is a ‘Right to Know’ law in the state which ‘requires that the winner’s name, town and amount won be available for public information’. However, winners are allowed to set up trust funds, where a representative from the associated law firm will serve as trustee and claim the money. Setting up a trust fund effectively allows players to stay anonymous as only the name of the trust and trustee is revealed. The problem for the latest New Hampshire winner was that she had already signed the back of her ticket before being advised by an attorney that she could have set up a trust. New Hampshire Lottery officials then told her that she would not be able to claim the money through a trust, and that any attempt to remove her signature from the ticket would make it invalid. The winner, making herself known only as Jane Doe, decided to go to court to challenge the New Hampshire Lottery in a bid to claim the prize anonymously, and the matter remains unresolved.
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