Man Suing $2 Billion Powerball Winner Edwin Castro Over Alleged ‘Stolen’ Ticket Suffers Setback in Court
Edwin Castro, backed by the California State Lottery Commission, maintains that he legitimately purchased the winning ticket.
April 23 2024, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
The man who claimed he was robbed of $2 billion after his winning lottery ticket was stolen was hit with a major loss in court this week.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed Jose Rivera’s claims against the California State Lottery Commission.
Rivera said he purchased the winning lottery ticket.
“It is Ordered and Adjudged that this action is dismissed with prejudice against defendant California State Lottery Commission,” the judgment read. The judge signed off on April 19.
As we previously reported, last year, Rivera sued Edwin Castro, the man who won the $2 billion jackpot, California State Lottery Commission, and a man named “Reggie” claiming he was the rightful owner of the winning ticket.
Rivera said a man named "Reggie" stole his ticket.
In his lawsuit, Rivera claimed he purchased a lottery ticket from Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California on November 7, 2022. The location is where the $2 billion ticket was purchased.
He claimed “Reggie” stole his ticket and refused to return it to him. He said he saw the winning lottery numbers on the television and was shocked he picked the right ones.
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The California State Lottery Commission announced Castro as the winner on February 14, 2023. He received a lump sum of $997 million. Rivera said he reached out to the lottery commission, but they did nothing.
In court, the California State Lottery Commission argued it cannot pay a prize unless a winning ticket is presented. It said Castro did not have a winning ticket.
Rivera claims he is the rightful owner of a $2B jackpot.
“The authority is clear that the State Lottery cannot pay winnings to anyone who does not present a valid, winning ticket. Any theft of a Powerball ticket should be addressed with the law enforcement and the alleged thief, not the State Lottery,” a lawyer for the commission said in court.
Castro demanded the lawsuit be thrown out of court. His lawyer argued there was security footage that showed his client purchasing the winning ticket at Joe’s Service Center.
The case is still ongoing.
In addition, Castro claimed Rivera’s lawsuit, “does not plead facts that would establish Castro ever interacted with [Rivera] or formed any obligation to [Rivera].” He said the man failed to show how they would have come in contact or how Castro would have received the allegedly “stolen” ticket.
Castro demanded all claims brought by Rivera be tossed.
The claims against the other defendants have yet to be dismissed.