A Rhode Island woman has retained a $4 million scratch-off lottery prize after the state Supreme Court rejected her former husband’s attempt to reopen their divorce proceedings. The dispute centred on whether the winning ticket was purchased before or after their marriage legally ended, and whether procedural mistakes made during the divorce could invalidate the final judgment. In its June 30, 2026, ruling, the Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld the divorce judgment, concluding that the Family Court had the authority to finalise the separation despite an error in the timing of its paperwork.
The Rhode Island woman kept her $4 million lottery prize after divorce
According to the Rhode Island Supreme Court’s decision in Ana Varela v. Daniel M. Monteiro, the couple married on November 23, 2007, but separated in 2012 when Monteiro left their marital home and moved to Massachusetts.Varela filed for divorce on February 21, 2020, citing their separation of more than 3 years. The proceedings were handled as a nominal divorce, meaning the couple had already resolved the principal matters concerning their marriage and did not require a contested trial over their property.Neither side had lawyers at the divorce hearing, which took place remotely on June 8, 2020. Both appeared before the trial justice who found that their marriage had broken down irretrievably.The court records also indicated that the couple had divided their personal property to their mutual satisfaction, had no jointly owned real estate or joint debts, and were financially self-sufficient. They agreed to waive claims for alimony.The divorce judgment was ultimately entered on October 8, 2020, bringing their marriage legally to an end.
A lottery win turns an uncontested divorce into a dispute
The situation changed when Varela won a $4 million scratch-off lottery prize shortly afterwards.The Supreme Court opinion states that she cashed the winning ticket on November 4, 2020. However, the ticket itself had been purchased between October 29 and October 31, more than 20 days after the divorce judgment was entered.Varela chose to receive the prize as a lump sum rather than through instalments. Although the advertised winnings amounted to $4 million, the lump-sum payment was $2.6 million before deductions. After taxes, she received $1,846,000.Monteiro subsequently questioned whether the lottery ticket had actually been purchased before their divorce was finalised.Then on September 16, 2021, he filed a motion to vacate the divorce judgment with the Family Court. He claimed that the ticket had been bought before the marriage was legally dissolved and was therefore marital property and should be split between the ex-spouses.The court’s opinion records that Monteiro initially alleged fraud, claiming that the lottery ticket had not been disclosed and that the divorce paperwork incorrectly represented the required waiting period. His argument later focused primarily on whether the divorce judgment was legally valid.
What procedural error did the Family Court make
The dispute also exposed a mistake in the paperwork used to finalise the divorce.Under Rhode Island law, a divorce based on living separately for at least three years requires a decision pending entry of final judgment, followed by a 20-day waiting period before the final judgment can be entered.In Varela and Monteiro’s case, both documents were entered on October 8, 2020, rather than being separated by the required period.The Family Court’s general magistrate admitted the error in January 2023, saying it was a ministerial error during the Covid-19 pandemic. The magistrate did agree the divorce judgment was not void, however, he at first gave Monteiro relief and continued the matter to see if he could get a portion of the lottery winnings.Varela appealed that decision, arguing that the procedural mistake did not justify reopening the divorce or treating her lottery prize as marital property.According to the Supreme Court’s account, a Family Court hearing justice subsequently ruled in her favour in June 2023. The justice concluded that the court had jurisdiction over the divorce, that the procedural error had not violated Monteiro’s due process rights and that the lottery proceeds were not marital property.
The state Supreme Court rejected the former husband’s claim
The Rhode Island Supreme Court examined whether the divorce judgment was legally void or merely affected by a procedural mistake.In its opinion, the court explained that an error does not automatically invalidate a judgment. A judgment can generally be cancelled on this basis only when the court lacked jurisdiction or when its actions amounted to an unlawful exercise of power that violated due process.The justices ruled that the Family Court had jurisdiction over the couple’s divorce and was authorized to issue both the decision pending entry of final judgment and the final judgment.The simultaneous entry of the two documents violated the statutory waiting period, but the court described this as a procedural defect rather than a failure of jurisdiction.The decision also depended on when the lottery ticket was bought. As the ticket was bought after the final divorce judgment had been entered, the winnings were not considered part of the couple’s marital estate.
