In March 2025, we reported how Attorney Randy Howry of Howry Breen & Herman, LLP was taking the lead in a case representing a Texas lottery winner who was wrongfully denied her jackpot by the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC). Today, we are excited to report that our team has successfully secured a settlement that will pay our client, Kristen Moriarty, the full cash value Jackpot Prize. The settlement announcement was recently reported by Casino Reports in an article that you can view by clicking here.
At the end of July, Texas Assistant Attorney General Joe Nwaokoro and the Texas Lottery Commission accepted a Rule 11 Agreement Letter sent by Attorney Howry, which detailed how our client would be provided her winnings through a settlement agreement. Morarity will receive 76% of the jackpot winnings ($34,875,783.82) through direct payments to a Trust Account. The remaining 24% ($11,013,405.10) will be remitted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for Moriarty’s benefit as per TLC rules.
When the settlement was announced, the TLC also announced that the “prize claim for the estimated annuitized $83.5 million jackpot prize has now been processed by the Texas Lottery.”
For those who have been following this case, you know that it began in February when Moriarty won the Texas lottery but was unexpectedly denied her winnings. TLC and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick claimed that she couldn’t be rewarded because she bought her ticket through a service called Jackpocket, which was entirely legal at the time of her ticket purchase. Jackpocket was implicated in a lottery scheme in 2023 in which a group of players used it to spend nearly $26 million on tickets so that every possible number combination was used.
Of course, Attorney Howry immediately recognized the severe flaws in the state’s reasoning for blocking Moriarty’s lottery winning. She had nothing to do with the 2023 lottery scheme and was entirely within her legal rights to purchase a ticket through Jackpocket, so it was argued that she had every right to the winnings. We are excited to say that only a few months after taking legal action, the Texas Lottery Commission conceded and accepted the settlement agreement without the need to drag the case through arduous litigation.
To learn more about this case, you can check out the following articles featuring more information here:
- Settlement Reached In $83.5 Million Texas Lottery Lawsuit, Disputed Winner Will Claim Full Prize
- Texas woman secures $83M lottery jackpot after 6 month legal battle
If you have a complicated case in Austin, Texas, or the surrounding area, talk to Howry Breen & Herman, LLP to learn how we can help with it. We can handle cases involving personal injury, commercial litigation, insurance litigation, real estate litigation, and more. You can dial (512) 430-4844 and request an initial consultation at any time.