Or "My Idiot son was doing drugs, and died...good thing you won the Powerball". Take your pick as the best title.
SAW
CNN
CHARLESTON, West Virginia (AP) -- The businessman who won the nation's richest undivided lottery jackpot was sued Friday by the father of a teenager who died of a drug overdose at his home in September.
The wrongful death lawsuit said Jesse Joe Tribble was led astray by Jack Whittaker's late granddaughter, and it said he should have exercised more control over her since she was in his custody.
Whittaker promised to fight the case by Tribble's father, Jimmy Tribble. "I'll be dead and gone to hell before he gets a dime out of me," Whittaker said.
Tribble, 18, was found dead September 17 at Whittaker's home in Scott Depot.
The night before, according to the lawsuit, Tribble had used drugs at the home with 17-year-old Brandi Bragg. When Tribble passed out on a bed, the lawsuit said, Bragg left him there instead of seeking medical help, though "she knew he was severely intoxicated and ill from the use of illegal drugs."
Bragg died less than three months later. The cause of death has not been determined.
The lawsuit accused Whittaker of negligence, saying he knew or should have known that Bragg was using money he gave to her to buy illegal drugs and supply her friends with drugs.
It said he continued to spoil her with money, automobiles and unlimited access to his home even after she developed "a serious drug habit."
Whittaker disputed the claims, saying it was Tribble who bought drugs for Bragg and that surveillance tapes show Bragg left the house hours before Tribble died.
Trouble has dogged the already-wealthy Whittaker since he won the $314.9 million Powerball jackpot on Christmas Day 2002, taking his winnings in a $113 million lump sum.
Among the problems, Whittaker was arrested twice for drunken driving, and his home and his vehicles have been hit with a rash of break-ins
