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

[Prokne]

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?

If he did, he would probably not have been living with his girlfriend. I'm sure he's living on some friend's couch.

[Masark]

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.

Common-law marriage in Ontario doesn't kick in until 3 years and the article says they were only together just over 2 years.

Though he's looking at a probable thumping on the other grounds.

I thought common law marriages were only in the US?

No, various provinces (as well as federal tax and immigration law) have had them up here for some time (and they've been available to same-sex couples since 1999), though the terminology is different in some and what exactly they means also varies.

Quebec calls them "de facto unions", BC calls them "marriage-like relationships", Alberta calls them "adult interdependent relationships", etc.

Interestingly, it is legal in Saskatchewan for someone to be in both in a regular marriage and in a common law marriage at the same time.

Almost as interestingly, I haven't heard of anyone making use of this provision.

[urasim]

If he did, he would probably not have been living with his girlfriend.

Or he just didn't have enough to get out of there. To claim he has nothing is stupid at best.

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.

Sounds like he was only thinking about leaving her for the last few months. Meaning he probably liked living with her for at least a year.

Still a dick thing to do.

[Zeta333]

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

nobody is forcing you to post literally every news story across the planet.

[Prokne]

Or he just didn't have enough to get out of there. To claim he has nothing is stupid at best.

Sounds like he was only thinking about leaving her for the last few months. Meaning he probably liked living with her for at least a year.

Still a dick thing to do.

"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."

Translation: He didn't have enough money to move out and live on his own. He thought he could with the lottery money, which he now doesn't have yet, and along with not having a job, he is not living on his own. I agree with you on the last comment.

[Tennis]

nobody is forcing you to post literally every news story across the planet.

Huh? This was a top news story today so it's pretty worthwhile for us to read it.

[Aquinan]

If he bought it, the winnings are his, regardless if they are alternating buying the tickets.

[urasim]

"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."

Yeah, I literally just said that a few minutes ago.

Translation: He didn't have enough money to move out and live on his own. He thought he could with the lottery money, which he now doesn't have yet, and along with not having a job, he is not living on his own. I agree with you on the last comment.

Yeah, and?

Do you know what our argument was even about? You seem like you're lost.

Nothing you've said supports your post I initially called out. Nothing you've said counters what I said.

[Zeta333]

Huh? This was a top news story today so it's pretty worthwhile for us to read it.

Its not even the top news story on the website you linked it from.

[Daedius]

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

Dude, you're MMO-C's equivalent to the National Enquirer... a magazine women typically buy and read while at the toilet to pass the time. It's late, not much activity on the forums... so I "picked up" your thread from the recent posts, while at the toilet I might add. Sue me.

[Mormolyce]

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.

I imagine it depends a lot on where you live, but here if you're in a de facto relationship the division of assets works pretty much the same as if you were in a marriage, so they'd be in the same situation either way.

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

Let me guess, you're assuming that the relationship breaks up, the assets are divided evenly and that the man earns/owns more than the woman?

- - - Updated - - -

If he bought it, the winnings are his, regardless if they are alternating buying the tickets.

That's really a matter for the court to decide.

[Ahovv]

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

Why post this thread to begin with if there's nothing to discuss? They weren't married; she didn't buy the ticket.

Is he a dick? Maybe so, but it's legally irrelevant. She was living with him, not married to him. Nothing you bolded is relevant to the legal matter at hand. You're just attempting to make him look like a dick, nothing more.

What a pointless thread.

[Calfredd]

Why post this thread to begin with if there's nothing to discuss? They weren't married; she didn't buy the ticket.

Is he a dick? Maybe so, but it's legally irrelevant. She was living with him, not married to him. Nothing you bolded is relevant to the legal matter at hand. You're just attempting to make him look like a dick, nothing more.

What a pointless thread.

Only things you need to know about Tennisace are:

• He hates fat people
• Only married people are happy and single people are depressed
• Women are weak and can't do anything for themselves unless they're butch
• Posts "top" news stories but when you go to the actual site, they're on like page 3

[Twix]

Did they split the cost of the tickets? If yes then she has a case otherwise she's just mad he won and left her.

[sarahtasher]

Just to be sure, you are aware, even dimly, that there are laws in civiliz...in others countries....that take in account that we are no longer in the 19th century and that wedding ''under the eye of God'' is no longer the typical form of union ?

Ontario and Québec specifically have laws in which cohabitation (and having a child) are enough to be called in a ''de facto'' union conjoints de fait)

[chazus]

Why would she be eligible for half the winnings if they alternated?

Unless it was a joint bank account (it wasn't), he bought a ticket, and won. For all legal purposes she's just a roomate.

[Endus]

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

This has nothing to do with marriage law, in any way whatsoever.

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.

Like Masark said above, in Ontario, it's 3 years cohabitation, or 1 year if you've got a kid together too. This relationship wouldn't qualify as common-law marriage; the case doesn't rest on shared marital property, but on verbal contract.

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

Because, as the article clearly showed, they had a verbal agreement that they'd trade off buying the shared ticket. He then lied about this winning ticket being a winner, and moved out and tried to cash in.

That's breach of contract at the least, and could be argued to be an attempt at grand theft.

[chazus]

Did they split the cost of the tickets? If yes then she has a case otherwise she's just mad he won and left her.

Is 'buying every other' considered 'splitting the cost' legally?

[Endus]

Why would she be eligible for half the winnings if they alternated?

Unless it was a joint bank account (it wasn't), he bought a ticket, and won. For all legal purposes she's just a roomate.

If the verbal agreement is that the ticket is "their ticket", and they just trade off who buys it, that's the verbal contract he's trying to violate.

They'll dig into their texts and so forth, and if she can produce regular comments like "did you buy our ticket this week" and such, that'll prove her case.

[Hiricine]

Well buying lotto tickets is one of the dumbest investments you can make, so I really don't have much pity for the people that actually do well making a bad decision like that.

That being said, the idea that someone can take ownership of something without an explicit contract being signed is silly, though I'm aware that there are silly laws in some places that basically consider cohabitation enough of an implied contract to extract wealth from someone, which goes to show that you shouldn't live with anyone you don't intend to stay with in those places. Should probably move somewhere that has more than a half-baked concept of property rights if you're planning to win the lottery.