At a Glance ...

Husband who won lottery millions during divorce case must share

PONTIAC (AP) — A Detroit-area man who was in the middle of a divorce when he won more than $30 million must share the lottery windfall with his ex-wife.

The Michigan appeals court says a marriage isn’t over until it’s over. It means Mary Beth Zelasko can keep $15 million awarded by an arbitrator, although she and Rich Zelasko had been separated for two years when he bought the Mega Millions ticket in 2013.

Their divorce wasn’t final until 2018.

In a court filing, an attorney for Rich Zelasko said, “Rich was lucky, but it was his luck, not Mary’s, that produced the lottery proceeds.”

But arbitrator John Mills said the ticket was marital property. The couple had agreed to have Mills make certain decisions during the divorce case.

The appeals court last week found no errors.


High court says sex offender law didn’t violate Constitution

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says Congress didn’t do anything improper when it gave the attorney general the ability to decide how to apply a sex offender registry law to more than 500,000 people convicted before the law was enacted.

The court says Congress didn’t violate separation of powers requirements in the Constitution.

At issue is the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

It requires people convicted of sex offenses to register where they live. Congress left it up to the attorney general to decide how to apply the law’s requirements to those convicted of a sex offense before the law was enacted in 2006.


Court to be turned into theater for ‘Anatomy of a Murder’

MARQUETTE (AP) — Sixty years after its premiere, “Anatomy of a Murder” will be shown in an Upper Peninsula courtroom, the site of the trial that inspired the book and movie.

The Mining Journal reports that there will be two viewings, one on July 1 and another on July 2, at the Marquette County courthouse in Marquette. Seating will be limited to 108 people.

“Anatomy of a Murder” was a best-selling novel by John Voelker, who used the pen name Robert Traver. It was then turned into a 1959 movie directed by Otto Preminger and starring James Stewart, Lee Remick and George C. Scott. The story was inspired by a murder case in the Upper Peninsula.

The movie was nominated for many Academy Awards.


Jackpot: More than 2,000 winners in North Carolina lottery

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Turns out that zero can be a lucky number.

North Carolina’s state lottery Saturday said it set a record payout after the winning numbers in a Pick 4 game came back “0-0-0-0.”

The lottery said about 1,000 tickets at $1 were sold and will pay out at $5,000. Another 1,000 tickets were sold for 50 cents, and they will pay out at $2,500. Lottery officials said winners should expect “extended waiting times" when picking up their prizes.

The state said the total payout is $7.8 million. The previous record was $7.5 million in 2012, when the winning Pick 4 numbers were “1-1-1-1.”

––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available