Ouch Man Wins $80 Million, Must Give Half to Estranged Wife

After winning $80 Million, the last thing you want to do is split it with your estranged wife.

This is exactly what happened to 50-year-old Richard Anthony Zalesko, who has been forced to share his jackpot win with his estranged wife Many Elizabeth after a court deemed the $80 Million prize as “marital estate”. This means that like the rest of the couple’s estate, the prize must be divided between the two equally.

The Michigan couple has been married for only 7 years between 2004 and 2011, at which point Mary filed for divorce. After two years, Robert won the $80 Million Jackpot on Mega Millions. After tax and deductions, the prize totaled at $38 million, meaning that Robert and Mary will get $19 Million each.

Many of you would quickly point to the fact that Robert’s win occurred two years after divorce documents have been filed by Mary. Regardless, the court decided that the prize should be shared. While this decision may seem odd, consider the following additional details.

Court documents show that while Elizabeth earned around $120,000 annually, Robert only contributed $36,000 every year. Furthermore, Robert did not contribute any of the winnings to the care of the couple’s three children until forced to do so by the court.

What do you think? Should Robert have to pay Mary $19 Million?