What happens when a simple waitress wins $10 million in the lottery (6 photos)

The true story of Tonda Dickerson from a dying town in Alabama.





The Waffle House Cafe was filled with hungry customers. Most of them belonged to the working class. Many were pensioners. The sound and smell of frying bacon came from the busy kitchen.



Edward Seward was sitting at one of the tables. He was a truck driver and a regular customer of the establishment. Today he sat alone, and his waitress was Tonda Dickerson.

Tonda was about 20 years old at that time. She is already a divorced single mother who ran away from her abusive husband several years ago. Now she managed somehow, working five shifts a week.

Seward finished his meal and, in lieu of a tip, gave Tonda a lottery ticket he had purchased in Florida during one of his trips. Thus began an incredible chain of events that could have been a great script for a film.

Fate of Tonda





The following week, the winning lottery number was announced, and Tonda couldn't believe her eyes: she had just won over $10 million.

Unlike most winners, she chose to receive 30 annual payments of $375,000 rather than a lump sum of $4 million.

She was young enough to enjoy a lot of money, and she knew it would help her avoid spending it all too quickly.

Of course, the girl quit her job at the cafe, but only for a while...

Everything goes wrong



Four waitresses initially sued Tonda, saying they had an agreement to split lottery winnings from tickets given to them by customers.

The waitresses brought a client to court who said she heard Tonda talking about this agreement. Tonda stated that the client was a fake and was a friend of the conspirators whom they brought in to win the case.

Tonda's lawyer did not mince words, describing his colleagues as "rats that came out into the light, smelling food."

The court ruled against Tonda, saying she should share the earnings. An Alabama district court then overturned the decision, saying the agreement was based on gambling, which is illegal in their county.

You might think that this would end well for Tonda, but these events were only the beginning of her problems.

A customer at the cafe, Edward Seward, learned that Tonda had won the lottery and called a lawyer to sue for some of the money. He claimed Tonda said, "I'll buy you a new truck if I win on this ticket."

There is such an annoying thing as “promissory estoppel”, where you can be held liable for an oral promise if the court considers it reasonable.

But if you give someone a lottery ticket as a tip, statistically it's a small tip or no tip at all. In the rare event that a ticket wins, you may not receive a partial refund. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't tip in cash and say you'll get it back if a certain event happens. Therefore, Seward's application was quickly rejected.

Things are getting worse



Tonda's hurt ex found out she won the lottery. He shows up and kidnaps her, holding her behind the wheel and forcing her to drive. The man threatens that he is going to kill her. They travel to a remote area of Alabama.

After 20 minutes of driving, he received a call. When he was distracted, Tonda grabbed his gun and threatened to shoot him. The man did not take her seriously and tried to take the weapon away, but Tonda pulled the trigger.

He managed to take the gun from her, but the bullet had already made a hole in his chest. Together they went to the hospital to get him medical attention. The man survived, but was sentenced to a short prison term for kidnapping and threats.

Tonda's story, while dramatic, has many parallels with other lottery winners. Greedy people constantly appear out of nowhere, trying to grab a piece of the pie. Many families have been destroyed due to the jackpot. The lottery turns people into parasites.

Sad stories of other lottery winners

Amanda Clayton was found dead of an overdose after winning $735,000. Winningl her to an addiction that ruined her life.

Michael Carroll won $12 million and spent it all on women, illegal substances and a backyard derby track.

Another man, William Post, had a similar experience to Tonda. After he won $16 million on the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988, his girlfriend sued him and his brother hired a hit man to kill him. As a result, he died penniless.

The denouement of Tonda's story



Fortunately, Tonda has been luckier than many others in her long history. She settled a lawsuit with the Internal Revenue Service over her winnings and whether she had to pay gift taxes (after all, the ticket was gifted to her).

The IRS investigates 100% of big lottery wins, so if you get rich, you can bet they'll come after you. Tonda was also saved by the fact that she continued to work without giving in to temptation.

After studying dozens of lottery winners, it is easy to see that the healthiest and happiest winners were those who stayed busy and continued to work. Early “retirement” is an easy path to ruin.