When Tonda Dickerson and four coworkers were given lottery tickets as tips, they didn’t think much of it. People love to play the lottery, hoping for life-changing winnings, though most understand that the chances of striking it rich are slim.
Tonda Dickerson’s chances, though, were much better than most. So much better that her lottery ticket tip won her a $10 million jackpot.
As incredible as her stroke of luck was, Tonda’s lottery win quickly brought a world of trouble to the waitress. Everything from legal battles to abduction befell poor Tonda after her win. This article will delve into Tonda Dickerson’s lottery story, her court cases, and the abduction that ended with her shooting her ex-husband.
Who Was Tonda Dickerson?
Tonda Lynn Dickerson was 28, working at the Waffle House on Interstate 10 in Alabama, when her life changed forever.
The man who would initiate this change was Edward Seward Jr., a regular at the Waffle House who had a friendly relationship with the workers there. Seward was a fan of playing the Florida Lotto, so much so that he didn’t just buy tickets for himself but for some of his favorite waitresses at the Waffle House, too.
On March 6, 1999, after his meal, Seward handed out five envelopes to five different servers. Each envelope held a lottery ticket. There was an understanding between the waitresses that if one of them ever won, they would share the winnings. Seward, too, had an agreement with them: if any of them won, all he wanted was a new truck.
The following day, Tonda opened her envelope and discovered she had won $10 million in the Florida Lotto. What should have been a joyful moment for Tonda, her coworkers, and Edward Seward turned into anything but. Instead of splitting the winnings as discussed, Tonda kept the entire amount for herself, which marked the beginning of her troubles.
Legal Battles
Despite the verbal agreement with her coworkers and Seward, Tonda was technically the sole winner of the jackpot since she had been given the lottery ticket directly. She had no intention of sharing her winnings. Unsurprisingly, the other Waffle House workers weren’t pleased with Tonda’s decision to go back on their agreement. They wasted no time and sued her.
Four of the workers—Sandra Deno, Angie Tisdale, Matthew Adams, and Jackie Fairley—claimed that Tonda had agreed to split the winnings if any of them had the winning numbers. According to the case summary of Dickerson v. Deno (2000), “…the plaintiffs sued Dickerson, alleging that they and Dickerson had orally contracted with each other that if any one of them should win, then the winner would share any lottery winnings with the other ticket recipients.”
Tonda chose the 30-year payout option for her $10 million win, which amounted to $375,000 annually. Her coworkers, meanwhile, were quick to initiate their lawsuit on March 18, 1999. They requested a freeze on Tonda’s winnings until the case was settled.
Initially, the court ruled in favor of Tonda’s coworkers, but she wasn’t going to give up easily. Tonda argued that the oral agreement lacked the necessary details to be a binding contract and that any contract related to gambling couldn’t be enforced in Alabama, where gambling is illegal. This argument won her the case, allowing Tonda to keep all of her earnings.
Edward Seward’s Lawsuit
After winning her court case against her coworkers, Tonda faced another lawsuit, this time from Edward Seward. He claimed that she had defrauded him by not buying him the truck she had promised if she won. Like the case with her coworkers, Seward’s lawsuit was dismissed because the promise was made informally and had no legal standing.
The IRS Lawsuit
Tonda’s legal battles didn’t end there. After dealing with her coworkers and Seward, Tonda tried to protect her money by forming an S corporation called “9 Mill,” with her family members as shareholders. However, the IRS reviewed her corporation and determined that she owed a gift tax of $770,000 due to the significant amount of money she had given to her family. Tonda was taken to court once more and lost the case, forcing her to pay the gift tax.
The Abduction
Tonda’s most serious issue came in the form of an abduction. Before she became the lottery-winning waitress, she was married to Stacy Martin, whom she divorced in 1997. After learning of Tonda’s win, Martin decided that he deserved a portion of her winnings.
Martin abducted Tonda while she was driving in Jackson County, Mississippi. He forced her to drive to a secluded boat launch in Bayou Heron, threatening to kill her if she didn’t comply. At the dock, when Tonda’s phone rang, Martin allowed her to answer it. However, instead of pulling out her phone, Tonda drew a .22 caliber pistol from her purse and shot her ex-husband in the chest. They drove to a nearby hospital, where Martin was treated for his wounds and likely arrested.
Where Is Tonda Dickerson Today?
Today, Tonda retains a portion of her winnings but isn’t the millionaire most would expect a lottery winner to be. She appears to lead a more modest life, working at the Gold Nugget Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, as of 2021.
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