$6.1M Lotto 6/49 prize in limbo after man leaves "live in girlfriend"

[Tennis]

A $6.1-million lottery prize is in limbo after a Chatham man, who recently split with his former live-in girlfriend, tried to claim the Lotto 6/49 winnings without her knowing, the Star has learned.

A $6.1-million lottery prize is in limbo after a court injunction prevented an Ontario man from cashing in a Lotto 6/49 ticket that his former live-in girlfriend claims is half hers.

Maurice Thibeault showed up at OLG’s Toronto prize centre recently with one of the two winning tickets in the Sept. 20 jackpot worth $12.2 million.

But before the Chatham resident could collect the money, Denise Robertson, 46, obtained an emergency court injunction and alerted OLG not to hand over the disputed millions.


Sources close to Robertson say she had asked Thibeault days earlier if the ticket — with the numbers 6, 17, 29, 37, 45, and 47 — had won and he responded it hadn’t.

Friends say she thought nothing of it until he moved out of her house five days after the draw.

Over their two years and one month of living together in her house — along with her teenage daughter from a previous marriage — the couple frequently played the lottery, alternating each week who would buy the tickets, said a source close to the long-time federal public servant.

Thibeault’s associates dispute that there was any such arrangement, pointing out he purchased the ticket at a Chatham convenience store using a debit card linked to his personal bank account.

Sources said the surveillance footage of him buying the winning ticket has been erased, but there is a bank receipt of the transaction.

They also said she texted him to ask only if he had bought a ticket, not whether their numbers had come up.

His friends also maintain he had been planning to separate from her for months and only managed to do so when he “got lucky” and won the lottery.

On Sept. 25, Robertson arrived home from work to find Thibeault, a 46-year-old father of three, had cleared out all his belongings from their shared home, according to three people who know the couple.

She then learned from mutual friends he had also quit his job at a local granite and glass supply company. A colleague had emailed the entire office that Thibeault had won, which is how she learned of the windfall.

“She couldn’t believe it,” said a person close to her, who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity.

Robertson contacted Windsor lawyer Anita Landry, who immediately phoned OLG headquarters in Toronto and obtained an injunction in a Windsor courtroom on Sept. 28.

“This motion, made without notice, by the plaintiff for an order that the defendant Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation not distribute the proceeds of the winning 6/49 lottery ticket from Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017 in the amount of $6,146,722.60 until the ownership issue can be disposed of ,” the court document reads.

But the legal injunction wasn’t necessary — everything was put on hold as soon as the Crown gaming agency was aware there was a dispute surrounding the ownership of the ticket.

That means Robertson, who declined to comment through her lawyer, could be entitled to more than $3 million share the prize.

Thibeault — who is “laying low” in an undisclosed location until the matter is resolved, according to a friend — also declined to comment.

The other half of the $12.2-million bonanza was won by a ticket holder in Quebec.

Tony Bitonti, OLG’s senior manager of media relations, said there are very strict procedures surrounding the awarding of prizes.

“The prize claim process is a process OLG would have followed regardless of whether there was an injunction or not,” Bitonti said.

“Anyone or group presenting a ticket worth $1,000 or more is subject to the prize claim review process to determine ownership of the specific ticket. For prizes of $10,000 or more, this review process includes a mandatory in-person interview of the claimant conducted by an OLG prize claims investigator,” the spokesperson said.

“While OLG has key information about the ticket — where and when it was purchased, was it purchased with other lottery products, etc. — in addition, we ask the claimant certain questions about the ticket and the circumstances surrounding its purchase in order to confirm ownership,” he said.

“If, for any reason, our prize claim review team cannot confidently determine the ownership of the ticket from the answers to the questions from the interview, then the claim is sent to OLG general investigations for further review. This further review can include interviewing other individuals with relevant information surrounding the prize claim.”

A prize is awarded only after OLG — which has revamped its procedures after a scandal surrounding questionable insider wins a decade ago — completes its investigation.

OLG investigators sometimes examine months-old surveillance video from variety stores and gas stations where tickets are sold to determine buying patterns.

They use computerized “data analysis and retrieval technology” to analyze billions of transactions per second and can identify ticket purchase characteristics to thwart fraudsters.

But changes in human relationships can be tricky to track.

https://www.thestar.com/news/queensp...le-splits.html

Shocking incident here.

Really demonstrates the important of marriage and avoid these long term "relationships" Now what does she have to show for it all?
This case could be tied up in the court system for a long time.

Also shows how greedy some people are and the lengths they will go.

[Morgaith]

there is nothing in it for guys to get married. Marriage benifits the women the most in the long term.

sad but true 10 chars

[Super Kami Dende]

If he bought the ticket. Why shouldn't he have sole ownership of said Money if he does not want to be with said Woman.

Too many gold-digging whores these days.

[Tennis]

If he bought the ticket. Why shouldn't he have sole ownership of said Money if he does not want to be with said Woman.

Too many gold-digging whores these days.

How do you know she's a whore?

[Calfredd]

https://www.thestar.com/news/queensp...le-splits.html

Shocking incident here.

Really demonstrates the important of marriage and avoid these long term "relationships" Now what does she have to show for it all?
This case could be tied up in the court system for a long time.

So should we have arranged marriages again so no one misses out on the benefits of marriage?

[Super Kami Dende]

How do you know she's a whore?

Well shes trying to claim his Money as her Own because they were "together" pretty close to being a whore. That's what Marriage is mostly these days isn't it? Prostitution with paperwork?

[Daedius]

What a horribly boring article. Almost put me to sleep reading it. Do another riveting thread please Tennisace, it's 3am -- need some shut eye.

His money, no syndicate naming on ticket... not married, this "case" wouldn't take long.

[Tennis]

What a horribly boring article. Almost put me to sleep reading it. Do another riveting thread please Tennisace, it's 3am -- need some shut eye.

His money, no syndicate naming on ticket... not married, this "case" wouldn't take long.

Why post if you are not posting constructively? Nobody is forcing you to read the article.

[Moralgy]

there is nothing in it for guys to get married. Marriage benifits the women the most in the long term.

MGTOW amirite?

[Arkthugal]

They're not married, so no, half of it is not hers.

[Dispraise]

Well shes trying to claim his Money as her Own because they were "together" pretty close to being a whore.

She's claiming half of the winnings on the grounds of a standing arrangement to alternate the purchasing of tickets together.

[Z-Man]

If he bought the ticket. Why shouldn't he have sole ownership of said Money if he does not want to be with said Woman.

Too many gold-digging whores these days.

Possible common-law marriage, previous agreement to split winnings, previous purchases on both sides agreeing to split the winnings, and suspicious behavior trying to hide the prize and denying he had won were not the actions of an innocent mistake. He's toast. Settle now, she may even end up with it all if this goes to court.

[Pejo]

If she can prove they alternated, she'll be able to take half.

[Independent voter]

I thought common law marriages were only in the US? Church going people would get married at the church and not get a license. A few states passed the "common law marriage" clause so these married women could get benefits even though they didn't have a license.

Texas is one such state.

[Sorshen]

Actually, not being married might be the saving grace here. Cut the shit Tennisace...

[Prokne]

It's pretty dumb to quit your job when you only won $6 million. Now that he can't get the money right away, he has no job, nowhere to live (since he was living at her place), and no money.

[I Push Buttons]

I thought common law marriages were only in the US? Church going people would get married at the church and not get a license. A few states passed the "common law marriage" clause so these married women could get benefits even though they didn't have a license.

Texas is one such state.

She is claiming they had an agreement to split the winnings, not that she is entitled to half because of their relationship.

No clue on Ontario/Canadian law, but cases like this have happened in the US and occasionally they were ordered to split the winnings.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/natio...373872171.html

In this case a couple verbally agreed (or so the guy claims) in 1991 they would split any future lottery winnings and the woman won in 2007, she immediately broke up with the guy and evicted him from her house. He sued and his case was originally thrown out, but then the Florida Supreme Court overruled the lower court and reinstated his case. Eventually the woman was ordered to pay him $291,000 of her $1,000,000 winnings and she filed for bankruptcy.

[urasim]

It's pretty dumb to quit your job when you only won $6 million. Now that he can't get the money right away, he has no job, nowhere to live (since he was living at her place), and no money.

You know for a fact that he has no existing funds? You know he doesn't have friends and family that he can bunk with?

[Uselessrouge]

if he loves or loved her? why not give her money

if he did not and she was a bitch? why should he give her a singel cent



his ticket , his money , his winnings , maybe next time dont be a bitch and treath him good that he would want to end his days with you even when he got other oportunitys

[Sunseeker]

Must be some relationship you're in, to stick with a girl for over 2 years just to get money and ditch. He sounds like a piece of shit.