$560 Million Powerball Winner Can Keep Her Name Private, Judge Rules

Still, the judge said, the winner’s hometown, Merrimack, N.H., would have to be disclosed. He said she could not be identified by this bit of information and saw no reason to keep it secret.

The judge dismissed the state’s argument that disclosing her name would show the public that the lottery system is above board. He said there was “no evidence” that the New Hampshire Lottery Commission was engaged in corrupt activity and noted that the winning numbers are drawn in Florida anyway.

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The commission already allows winners to sign their tickets with the name of a trust instead of the individual’s name, the judge noted, in essence allowing winners to be anonymous. As a result, he said, the commission’s argument that there is a “strong public interest in disclosing the identity” of the winners “is simply not persuasive.”

Billy Shaheen, a lawyer for the New Hampshire winner, who was described in court papers only as Jane Doe, said that his client was elated to hear the news.

She had already received her after-tax winnings of $264 million while the judge mulled her claim to privacy.

“New Hampshire has a long tradition of protecting and preserving the right of privacy, and people pride themselves on it, in the ‘Live Free or Die’ scenario we have in this state,” Mr. Shaheen said.

He said that his client was now reflecting on how best to use her windfall to benefit others. She has already donated a combined $250,000 to Girls Inc. of New Hampshire, an empowerment group for girls, and three chapters of End 68 Hours of Hunger, which provides meals for schoolchildren during the weekends.

An essential decision ahead, Mr. Shaheen said, will be for the winner to determine whether to spend the money while she is alive or to create a more enduring fund, like a foundation or endowment.