Jack Whittaker may have died more than a year ago, but the problems surrounding what’s left of the Putnam County man’s lottery winnings persist.
Whittaker’s ex-wife, Jewell Whittaker, filed a lawsuit claiming Delegate Barry Bruce, R-Greenbrier, who is an attorney, gave her bad advice and maneuvered to take control of her $10 million fortune — this after Jewell Whittaker married his brother, Robert, who also is named in the lawsuit. Robert Bruce, the lawsuit claims, had been living in Michigan with no assets to his name when Barry Bruce introduced him to Jewell Whittaker.
Among other things, Jewell Whittaker claims that Barry Bruce told her she couldn’t obtain pre- or post-nuptial agreements to protect her assets when marrying Robert Bruce in 2013. Barry Bruce also set up control of a trust of a substantial amount of money without consent and has operated that trust outside the bounds of financial law, the complaint claims.
Whether the lawsuit has any merit, it’s a testament to the legacy of misery around Jack Whittaker’s lottery win, even as the pot of money dwindles. Sure, $10 million is a lot of money. It’s also crumbs compared to the $113 million Whittaker won in 2002. What’s more, Jack Whittaker was already worth an estimated $17 million before hitting the jackpot in 2002.
Jack Whittaker became somewhat infamous after he claimed his prize; a poster child for everything that can go wrong when that type of money is suddenly bestowed on a person. He had nearly $800,000 stolen from him on two occasions at a now-defunct Cross Lanes strip club. His granddaughter’s boyfriend died of a drug overdose at the Whittakers’ home in 2004. His granddaughter, who received a $2,000 weekly allowance from Jack Whittaker, died shortly thereafter at a friend’s house. A toxicology report found that she had methamphetamine and cocaine in her system, although no cause of death was ever officially reported.
In 2008, after 42 years of marriage, Jewell and Jack Whittaker filed for divorce. A lengthy court battle over money ensued.
All of this, and more, played out in local and national news media because of the elevated profile all that money brought. The morbid fascination with lottery winners whose lives implode also made Jack Whittaker’s story a frequent source for sensationalized cable television programs.
Long before he died last year at age 73, Jack Whittaker had come to resent his windfall. He said in numerous interviews that he wished he’d never claimed the winning ticket. In an interview with ABC News, he said he didn’t like the man he’d become and that his vast wealth had cost him everything that really meant anything to him.
Now, even the scraps of that 2002 prize are a source of legal contention and squabbling, with everyone trying to come away with something. It’s less money, but it still brings more problems.
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette-Mail
