LOS ANGELES (Web Desk) – During his 25 years of marriage, Thomas Rossi never saw a marriage counselor, never strayed and never doubted a relationship so close that he shared an electric toothbrush with his wife, he said.
Then Denise Rossi shocked him by demanding a divorce. And she wanted it in a hurry.
Now he knows why: On Decemebr 28, 1996 – just 11 days before she filed for divorce–Denise Rossi won $1.3 million in the California Lottery.
She told no one in her divorce case, and her secret caught up with her on Tuesday. A Los Angeles family court judge ruled that she had violated state asset disclosure laws and awarded her lottery winnings to her ex-husband. Every penny.
Superior Court Judge Richard Denner determined that she acted out of fraud or malice. He based his decision on a deposition in which Denise Rossi admitted that she concealed her winnings because she didn’t want her ex-husband “getting his hands on” them.
