No police reports, no medical records, no witnesses. It was pure fabrication. Hayes demolished their claims with phone records showing Victoria had been the one making all the major financial decisions during our marriage.
Bank statements proved I’d never controlled her access to money. Her own social media posts showed her living freely and happily throughout our marriage. Three days before the Morrison made one final settlement offer, $4.5 million.
It’s a good offer, Robert, Hayes advised. Taking this to trial is always a risk, even with our strong case. I shook my head.
This isn’t about maximizing money, James. It’s about justice. The night before court, I couldn’t sleep in my motel room.
I kept thinking about how this all started, with a prenup designed to keep me from their precious family money. The irony was beautiful. Their own greed and paranoia had become the weapon that would defeat them.
Victoria’s family had spent their whole lives looking down on people like me, working-class folks who earned their money through sweat and honest labor. They thought money made them better, smarter, more deserving. The next day, they’d learn otherwise.
April 18th arrived gray and humid, typical Florida spring weather. I wore my best suit, a navy blue Joseph A. Bank, one I’d bought for our wedding eight years earlier. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
The Orange County courthouse was packed. Word had gotten out about the case, and local news crews from WESH2 and Fox 35 were stationed outside. Construction worker fights for lottery millions had become a human interest story.
Victoria sat with her family on one side of the courtroom, looking pale and nervous. Morrison whispered urgently in her ear, probably preparing her for what was coming. Judge Henderson took her seat at exactly 9 a.m. We’re here for the matter of King vs.
King, case number 2025-DR-0028470. Mr. Morrison, you may present your opening argument. Morrison stood confidently, but I noticed his hands shaking slightly.
Your Honor, this case is about a vindictive husband attempting to steal money he had no part in earning. Mrs. King selected those lottery numbers, purchased that ticket, and won that prize through her own actions. Hayes remained seated, taking notes on his yellow legal pad.
He looked completely relaxed. Morrison continued for 20 minutes, arguing that lottery winnings were personal property, that the prenup didn’t apply to unforeseeable windfalls, and that I was essentially a gold digger. When he finished, Judge Henderson turned to Hayes.
Mr. Hayes, your opening statement. Hayes stood slowly. Your Honor, this case is remarkably simple.
We have a prenuptial agreement, signed by both parties in December 2016, that explicitly states any prizes or winnings acquired during marriage are marital property. We have Florida state law that supports this position. And we have documentation proving the lottery ticket was purchased with marital funds during the marriage? He paused, looking directly at Morrison.
The defendants are asking this court to ignore their own contract because they don’t like the outcome. The evidence phase was devastating for Victoria’s side. Hayes presented bank records showing years of lottery ticket purchases from our joint Wells Fargo account.
He showed how Victoria had commingled the lottery winnings with other marital assets. He even had the receipt from the Wawa gas station on Colonial Drive, where she’d bought the winning ticket on October 8th, 2024, paid for with our joint debit card at 3.47 p.m. Morrison’s cross-examination was weak. He tried to argue that Victoria had intended to keep the separate.
But intention doesn’t matter when you’ve already mixed the money. Then came the moment I’d been waiting for. Hayes called Morrison’s legal strategy into question by reading directly from his own court filings.
Mr. Morrison, in your preliminary motion dated November 18th, 2024, you stated, and I quote, the lottery ticket in question was purchased during the marriage with funds from the marital estate. Do you remember writing that? Morrison’s face went white. That was a misstatement.
A misstatement that you signed and filed with this court under penalty of perjury? I, yes. Judge Henderson leaned forward. Mr. Morrison, are you telling this court you filed false documents? No, your honor, I misspoke in the document.
I meant to say, Hayes interrupted. Your honor, Mr. Morrison’s own filings support our position. He’s acknowledged that marital funds were used to purchase the winning ticket.
The Wilson family looked sick. Charles was sweating through his expensive Brooks Brothers shirt. Patricia kept shaking her head in disbelief.
Victoria took the stand to testify on her own behalf. Morrison had coached her, but she was clearly rattled. Mrs. King, Hayes began his cross-examination, you’ve testified that you always intended to keep any lottery winnings as separate property.
Is that correct? Yes. Then why did you deposit the entire $7.2 million into your personal checking account at Bank of America, which you’ve been using to pay marital expenses? Victoria stammered. I, I needed somewhere to put it.
You have a separate account at SunTrust Bank, correct? An account your husband has never accessed? Yes, but an account with over $63,000 in it, correct? Yes. So you had somewhere to keep the money separate, but you chose not to. Instead, you mixed it with marital funds and began spending it freely, correct? Victoria looked at Morrison desperately, but he couldn’t help her.
I, I guess so. Hayes pulled out her BMW purchase agreement from Brickell BMW. You bought this car on November 15th, 2024, five days after depositing the lottery winnings, correct? Yes.
For $87,000? Yes. Using lottery money? Yes. Did you consult with your husband about this major purchase? We were separated.
Ma’am, you didn’t file for divorce until November 20th, 2024. You were still legally married when you bought this car. So I’ll ask again.
Did you discuss this purchase with your husband? No. Judge Henderson recessed for lunch at 1230 p.m. In the hallway, Charles Wilson approached me one final time. Robert, this is madness.
We’ll appeal whatever decision she makes. This could drag on for years. That’s your choice, Charles.
But I’ve got time and a good lawyer. The afternoon session was brief. Judge Henderson had made her decision.
I’ve reviewed all evidence and applicable law. She began at 215 p.m. The prenuptial agreement signed in December 2016 is clear and unambiguous. Section 4.2 explicitly states that any prizes or winnings acquired during marriage are marital property.
Florida statute 61.075 supports this interpretation. Furthermore, the defendant’s actions in commingling the lottery winnings with marital assets demonstrates her own recognition that these funds were not separate property. Victoria started crying.