A man infamous for his numerous problems ever since winning a record Powerball lottery jackpot says he can't pay a settlement to a casino worker because thieves cleaned out his bank accounts.
Powerball winner Jack Whittaker gave that explanation in a note last fall to a lawyer for Kitti French, who accused him of assaulting her at the Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center, a slots-only casino near Charleston, according to a motion French's lawyer filed this week demanding payment of the confidential settlement.
Whittaker won a nearly $315 million on Christmas 2002, then the largest undivided lottery prize in U.S. history. He took his winnings in a lump sum of $113 million after taxes.
Since then, he has faced his granddaughter's death by drug overdose; he has been sued for bouncing checks at Atlantic City, N.J., casinos; he has been ordered to undergo rehab after being arrested on drunken driving charges; his vehicles and business have been burglarized; he was drugged in a Cross Lanes strip club in 2003 by robbers who took more than $500,000 from his car; and he has been sued by the father of an 18-year-old boy, a friend of his granddaughter's, who was found dead in Whittaker's house.
In the latest lawsuit, Whittaker told French's lawyer, John Barrett, that "a team of crooks" cashed checks in September at 12 City National Bank branches and "got all my money," according to the motion Barrett filed Wednesday in state court.
The suit maintains that French's lawyer contacted Whittaker's lawyer several times to try to get Whittaker to comply with the settlement. Whittaker allegedly pleaded poverty, saying he can't afford to make the payments.
"On one occasion, Mr. Whittaker himself responded in writing, and stated: 'On 9-11 a team of crooks went to 12 different City Nat. Banks cashed 12-CKs & got all my money. I intend to pay but can't without any money,'" the suit reads.
An official with City National Bank said Friday the bank is investigating "small discrepancies" in Whittaker's accounts.
The suit claims that Whittaker's failure to abide by the terms of the settlement is "intentional, reckless, willful or wanton."
French is one of three racetrack employees who accused Whittaker of assaulting them while he was gambling at the facility in 2003. Floor attendants C.D. Fortner and Ronda Lilly also claimed Whittaker assaulted them during a drunken tirade.
In July, a Putnam County jury found that Whittaker assaulted a bar manager, but decided that the man's injuries were not the result of being hit by Whittaker. He has also been sued by two women who allege that he assaulted them in a Summers County camp in 2004, as well as two Atlantic City casinos that claim he wrote them checks on a closed bank account.
French's suit seeks to force Whittaker to pay the money specified by the settlement agreement, plus interest and punitive damages.
Calls to Whittaker and his lawyers Friday were not immediately returned.
I can not even begin to express my thoughts about this man and his "problems" except to say God help him.
...speaking of Turds that won't flush...
Some people win and quietly disappear, then others' actions remind us when we win ..... we too should quietly disappear.
It's not a New Year unless you get a new jack Whittaker Story.....
Now that's a Jinx!!
let me get this straight...............this is the guy that won on christmas night 2002.he already owned three construction companys before hitting big .he was looking to buy a helicopter before he hit .he was already a millionaire before hitting ....and now he's broke.his own wife told the papers that hitting it big was the worst thing to happen in their life.i thought it was odd when jack said he was going to help churchs out with money then the news comes out that he's hanging out in toppless go go bars.and whats with the drunk driving stuff .its not like he couldn't pay for a cab or for a driver for his limo.i would think that jack was sitting on top of the world when he frist hit but boy did that change.too bad a really good friend didn't take him aside and try to help.or did everyone just have their hand out.its like the B side of the 45 reconds from years ago.i just feel so sorry for the guy
Hmmph! Nobody's mentioning
that beautiful image I created!
...actually it's quite good, Todd! I'm assuming that big ole smile was from the day after his win.
I love Linda Kollmeyer..If I win she win's......Oh yeah...
Why in the hell didn't Whittaker put his money into various kinds of investments, including income funds, hedge funds, tax-sheltered mutual fund and properties including income properties?!
It looks awesome!! Had no idea you came up with that image. WTG!!!
Jack wasn't Unlucky:
He just Reaped what he Sowed!
Why didn't Whittaker seek a Trust Fund? Hum, makes you wonder, huh?
Deep inside I like Mr. Whittaker and I feel very bad about what happened with his granddaughter, not just that she died but everything leading up to it. That being said, we are the product of the choices we make. He chose to buy 115 powerball tickets. He chose to make known how generous he would be with it (first BIG mistake! If I ever win I will sound like Scrooge's Evil Nephew!) Then the obvious, he flashed money (2nd BIG mistake) at the Pink Pony (it's been razed since based on Google Earth images) and with such attention and the image of being a rich drunk now all the bad apples flocked to him and worse, his granddaughter. He did buy land and he expanded his 3 construction companies (Diversified Enterprise) and helped Churches and poor people (for a while at least) but with a combination of drinking and gambling and his busy hands he probably lost a lot of money and I don't know whether to believe this story of his "Personal 9/11" on his bank accounts because once someone starts bouncing million-dollar checks (fourth BIG mistake) that's a sign to question what they say. I tried to find that slot machine he invented but no sign of it at C's in A.C. Anyway, again, I LIKE Mr. Whittaker and I wish I could help him in some way (for free, really) but all I can do right now is pray for him. He is a very proud man, that's why he won't look for a cab ride and his general attitude. This is not to put him down, it's an honest assesment of his situation and how he got there. I'd rather be hearing stories about what poor people he helped or what things he built for the community than all the negative things.
To create the image, I found this on the Internet:
Then I used Photoshop to carefully cut out Jackie Boy and feather the edges, so it looked like this:
Then I took my standard frame:
...And added a background gradient, the word "Jack", removed the little line, and resized his mug to fit:
Voila!
This guy should run for President of the United States.
He's certainly incompetent enough.
Todd --good look I saw a picture of jack with a pony tail a few weeks ago I like the new Jack look
'ol jack he did have a stack
now no one has his back
his cash is low
feeling like an everyday joe
tragedy struck
for the love of a buck
his life in shambles
can't afford sandals
feeling very spent
down to his very last cent
the haggard look is on his face
killing the pain with another case
the alcohol numbs the pain
amounts spent insane
well its too late
today is the date
cruel cruel is his twist of fate
Did you write that Mike?
yes.i thought it up as i was writing it.its silly i know
Jack is apparently beyond help and beyond sanity. I can only hope to use him as an example of what not to do if I win a big one.
I can personally help him.... Someone, please, tell him to send me all of his (hidden) money. All of it.
here is another.this is being done just like the other off the top of my head....here it goes.
'ol jack he was a good old man
he went to the racetrack looking for a hand...
job that is....
instead he was to be robbed
the pretty woman pronounced him a slob
so he left with his briefcase
just after the police chase
refused a breathalizer test
that he knew best
got locked up in jail
didn't take long to make bail
millions always on hand
told him he was richer than the men from the sand
soon it wore off that magic
all thats left is pretty tragic
Gives complete and final definition to the term "Wacko Jacko", 'ey.
This is the case study of what not to do after winning.
It amazes me that his wife hasn't filed for divorce and left him penniless. She is the one I feel most sorry for.
That's actually not too bad Mike, I especially like your last two lines.
JW SHOULD be President! He manages his money MUCH better than the current Government.
Quote from future press conference:
"I did NOT touch that woman, Kitty French..."
PS- he looks different now than that photo which is from when he first won.. he grew a beard in the last photo I saw but that was a while ago too.
I first noticed the blog on this subject, so that's where I posted. Just wanted to tell Todd that I didn't know he created that image. Not being technical, it's so good I just assumed it came from a recent news article. So if I ever decide to go back to dating I'll send you a photo and you can touch it up a little for me, okay?
i've never in my life this has got to be the most horrible thing that could happen to a million in a life time the way he could come out of this is get a movie deal and pray that it's enough to pay everyone off my pray goes out to this man
God is playing a beautiful game. Simply, if people don't know how to mange money and withdraw themselves from the public after winning a big jackpot this is the ultimate result. Penniless, Jack you better jump off the bridge.