Commission says it can’t withhold winner’s name

Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H.

New Hampshire’s lottery commission will ask a court to dismiss a complaint from a Powerball winner asking for anonymity, arguing that releasing the person’s name and address is required by law, helps ensures transparency and doesn’t put the person’s safety at risk.

The woman who won the $559.7 million jackpot, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, filed a complaint asking that a judge allow her to stay anonymous.

The case will be heard today.

The woman’s lawyer says she signed the back of the ticket fter the Jan. 6 drawing, the nation’s eighth-largest lottery jackpot. But after the woman contacted a lawyer, she learned that she could have shielded her identity by writing the name of a trust.

The filing says she has set up a trust and plans to contribute a portion of her winnings to charity.

Under New Hampshire law, a lottery winner’s name, town and prize amount are public information.