Alagoas court releases assets of Mega-Sena lottery winner after dispute with ex-husband.
The Court of Justice of Alagoas (TJAL) released the assets of the woman who won R$ 103 million in the Mega-Sena lottery, after concluding that there was no common-law marriage between her and her ex-husband before their marriage. The unanimous decision occurred on Thursday (February 12th) and represents a legal victory for the former Kombi van owner, who had part of her assets frozen since December 2023. The case may still be taken to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ).
The legal dispute began when the ex-husband requested recognition of a stable union prior to the marriage, arguing that the lottery winnings occurred before the formalization of the marriage. This request had already been denied in February 2025, but the assets remained frozen until now. As reported by Tacio Lorran in Metrópoles , the legal battle has lasted for more than a year, involving appeals and challenges from both parties.
In December 2023, the courts had ordered the freezing of approximately R$ 66 million, equivalent to half of the Mega-Sena lottery prize. However, only R$ 22,5 million were found in different bank accounts belonging to the woman. Subsequently, in February 2024, a court decision released 10% of this frozen amount.
Relationship history
The relationship between the two began in April 2020, with an engagement in August of the same year. The woman received the million-dollar prize in October 2020, married a few days later, and separated nine months later.
The former van driver filed the lawsuit a year after the end of the relationship. According to his defense, the delay in initiating the action was due to fear of his ex-wife's "economic power."
The proceedings revealed that the couple had married under a prenuptial agreement with complete separation of assets, and the divorce certificate stated that there were no assets to be divided.
Testimony and allegations
In her testimony to the court, the winner explained the reasons for ending the relationship. "I decided [to end it] for the simple fact that he was a very rude person, he didn't treat me well," she stated.
The ruling also rejected the ex-husband's claim regarding the winning numbers: "Regarding the plaintiff's attempt to attribute the chosen numbers on the winning ticket to specific dates related to him, there is no evidence whatsoever to support this claim."
Destination of the prize
The woman, who considers the Mega-Sena prize a "miracle," made donations to her then-husband, his children, and friends after receiving the money. According to her testimony, the donated amounts ranged between R$ 100 and R$ 120.
The process does not provide information about the fate of the remainder of the Mega-Sena prize, which totaled R$ 103 million.
