Ticket Wipes Out Couple’s Debt Issue
NEW JERSEY
A restaurant manager and his wife claimed a $58.9-million share of the Big Game lottery jackpot, a year after filing for bankruptcy with nearly $600,000 in debts.
Jorge and Joanne Lopes of Hillside, near Newark, came forward after a dizzying two weeks during which New Jersey nursing home employees mistakenly thought they had the winning ticket.
Jorge Lopes, 46, said he will pay off his bills and will keep working.
His wife, he said, will leave her two jobs as a day-care teacher and flower deliverer.
Lopes, who moved to the U.S. from Portugal in 1977, and his wife claimed debts of $584,761 and assets of $12,960 in their bankruptcy filing.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
