$1.35B Mega Millions Winner Drops Lawsuit Against Ex-Partner Over NDA Leak

Maine’s biggest lottery winner is seeking to drop his lawsuit against an ex-partner he claims blabbed about his $1.35 billion jackpot to his parents after a judge ruled that he could not remain anonymous.

The man, referred to in court documents as “John Doe,” sued the mother of his child in November 2023, alleging she violated a non-disclosure agreement designed to protect his identity by informing his father and stepmother about the win.

$100K Per Disclosure

The plaintiff sought an injunction barring his ex, identified pseudonymously as “Sara Smith,” from disclosing any further information about the jackpot.

He also asked the federal court to order Smith to identify everyone she had informed and pay compensatory damages of at least $100,000 for each unauthorized disclosure.

According to the lawsuit, the NDA was intended to “promote the safety and security” of Doe, Smith, and their daughter, and prevent the “irreparable harm” that could result if the media or public learned their identities and home address.

Lawyers for Smith denied their client violated the agreement, arguing the lawsuit was designed to pressure her amid an ongoing child custody battle. Smith alleged in a court filing that Doe hired a private security team that followed her and her daughter daily.

The Catch-22

Doe’s motion to dismiss the case came as the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an April 2025 ruling denying his request for a closed trial to protect his identity.

The appellate panel agreed with the lower court judge’s decision that a closed trial would run “hard against [the] historic concept of what the courts are and what they are not in this country.”

In the motion to dismiss, Doe’s attorneys acknowledged their client faced an unavoidable Catch-22.

“… [E]ven if plaintiff were to win on his claims, his identity and confidential information would be revealed to the media and public, which is exactly what he brought suit to avoid,” they wrote.

Smith’s attorney, Peter Brann, told the Portland Press Herald on Wednesday (Sept. 16) that he plans to oppose the motion to dismiss because it was filed “without prejudice.”

“Which means that they can turn around and file another baseless lawsuit against the defendant tomorrow,” Brann said. “And that, I do not want. … It should never have been filed to begin with.”

As the legal standoff concludes, the dispute underscores how a record-breaking jackpot turned a private family disagreement into a multi-year federal court saga—and ultimately stripped the winner of the very anonymity he sought to protect.