From Tips To Triumph: The Life-Altering Journey Of A Waitress Post $10 Million Lottery Win
Imagine winning a $10 million lottery; there's no question that you will become famous. But with fame come negative repercussions. Here's what happened to a waitress in 1999.?
Who was the waitress who won the $10 million lottery??
Tonda Dickerson, a?Waffle House waitress in Florida, found herself in the centre of success and misfortune years ago.
She had no idea that her $10 million (about Rs 83 crore) lottery victory would not only change her life but would also become a cautionary tale for the ages, thanks to the internet's infinite wisdom.
When did it happen?
It all started in 1999, when a kind client named Edward Seward gave Tonda a?lottery ticket?he had purchased in?Florida. Tonda was the unlucky winner of a whooping $10 million when the numbers finally aligned. Is it time to get out the confetti? Wrong.
What went wrong?
Tonda's legal counsel could have rescued her from the rollercoaster of legal fights that lay ahead of her. When Dickerson won the lotto, she chose a 30-year payout plan rather than a single sum, but she immediately found herself at war with colleagues who claimed they had a pre-existing agreement to split any profits.?
Finally, Alabama law ruled in Tonda's favour, declaring that gambling contracts are unenforceable.
How did it all end?
The drama, however, did not finish there. Tonda's generosity towards her family, combined with her innovative tax manoeuvring, drew the IRS's notice. A $771,570 bill for delinquent federal taxes arrived like an unwanted guest at a party.?
Tonda's legal journey included disagreements over gift taxes, claimed contracts between family members, and a decade-long struggle with the IRS.?
Tonda Dickerson won the grand prize after donating the majority of her winnings to her family in order to start a business. Tonda emerged from the legal morass with a lesson learned and a family company to show for it after the court ruled in her favour against the IRS.?
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