- Estate Planning
- 2 mins
Lottery winners in Massachusetts are often surprised when they go to claim their prize and are then asked by the lottery commission to pose for a photograph and disclose their identity to the public. Most big winners want to conceal their identities from the public and unfortunately, most states – including Massachusetts – do not allow winners to claim prizes anonymously. Pictured above is Lane, Lane & Kelly attorney, Robert Cirafice, claiming a $1 million dollar prize on behalf of our client, keeping their identity completely anonymous.
However, in Massachusetts, there is still a way to maintain your anonymity when you claim your prize. Winners can establish a trust and have a trustee claim the prize in the name of the trust. Most often, an attorney is hired by the winner to create a trust, and that same attorney also serves as the trustee and claims the prize so the winner can remain anonymous. The trustee is the legal titleholder to the property in the trust, for the benefit of the true winner, which allows for the identity of the true winner to remain anonymous while the trustee claims the prize and takes the photo for the Massachusetts State Lottery website. Once the trustee claims the prize and assists the true winner in setting up a new trust bank account, they can aid in the smooth transfer of the cash prize to the true winner. All while keeping the identity of the winner completely concealed from the general public. Talk about a win-win situation!
Lane, Lane & Kelly, LLP has experience representing Lottery winners of large prizes, including establishing trusts and serving as trustee to claim winnings so that winners can obtain their funds anonymously. Contact our office (781) 848-0040 for more information on establishing a lottery trust to ensure your privacy, and estate planning documents to protect your assets, and provide security for you and your loved ones.
This blog is made available for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By reading this blog you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and Lane, Lane & Kelly, LLP.
