Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Create a trust to claim the prize.

If you won the lottery, pay an attorney to help you figure it out. Stop getting free advice.

I've represented lottery winners before, and unfortunately the minimum information they require under public disclosure laws in California are the winner's full name, the name and location of the retailer who sold the winning ticket, the date the prize was won, and the amount of winnings, including gross and net installment payments. If your name is fairly common, this may be less of a problem, and you do have the ability to assign your payments to a trust or entity so that these will become anonymous.

You don't have to participate in any lottery publicity, so anything beyond the above information (like photos, ceremonies or announcements) can be declined when you claim your prize.