Summary The German court says the woman should receive about 250,000 euros.
KARLSRUHE (AFP) - A woman whose husband won the lottery seven years after they had separated is entitled to half of his winnings, or a quarter of a million euros, a German court ruled Wednesday.
The German Federal Court of Justice said the woman, who was on jobless benefits, should still receive about 250,000 euros ($338,000) from her former husband because they were technically still married when he bought the winning ticket.
The man, a pensioner, was living with his new partner when the pair won and shared around 956,000 euros in the lottery in 2008. Two months after the win, he divorced his wife and mother of his three children.
The Federal Court ruled that assets generated during a marriage must be split equally between the two partners in a divorce, regardless of a separation.
It said that lottery winnings were no exception.
