I won a pretty decent amount of money from a scratch off ticket last week. It is nothing life changing like millions, but it is enough to pay off my car and put a nice down payment on a house.
I told my immediate family, just my parents and siblings. Apparently word got around to my extended family because now my cousin will not stop calling me.
He says that because we used to buy lottery tickets together back in high school, I owe him a percentage of my winnings. This was about ten years ago. We bought tickets together once. He bought one and I bought one, and neither of us won anything.
Now he is claiming we have some kind of history of playing together and is threatening legal action if I do not give him part of the money. The whole thing feels insane.
I have not even claimed the prize yet. My plan was to quietly handle everything, pay off my car, and start looking toward buying a house. Now I am nervous about talking to anyone about the money.
Has anyone dealt with this kind of entitlement from family members after coming into money?
Your cousin is being ridiculous.
Buying two scratch off tickets together ten years ago does not make him your lifelong lottery partner. He has no business showing up now with his hand out because you happened to win money.
And threatening legal action makes it worse. That is not family looking out for family. That is someone trying to intimidate you into giving him money he believes he can pressure you into handing over.
Do not give him a dime just to make him go away. Do not negotiate. Do not argue about what happened in high school. And do not send some sarcastic text offering him one percent or joking that you will “take care of him.” Stop engaging.
Since he has threatened legal action, save every text, voicemail, and message. Before claiming the prize, talk privately with a lawyer in your state who understands lottery winnings. Let an attorney tell you what, if anything, you actually need to worry about.
And learn something from how this happened. You told a few family members, and suddenly your cousin knows enough to demand a cut. Your finances are no longer family conversation.
Nobody needs to know how much you won, when you claim it, where you put it, what you buy, or how much is left.
Your cousin did not win the lottery.
You did.
His disappointment, jealousy, entitlement, or anger does not create a debt you owe him. If he wants to destroy a family relationship because you will not hand over money that was never his, that is his decision.
Protect the ticket. Protect the money. Protect your privacy.
And stop feeling like you need to defend your good fortune to someone who suddenly remembered your phone number when there was money involved.