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A woman is taking her boyfriend to court after he won Canadian $6.1 million from the lottery. The woman is seeking to be paid half the winnings.

Split After Winning

Maurice Thibeault and Denise Robertson were together for two years until last September after Thibeault purchased a lottery ticket that eventually won him Canadian $6.1 million. This created a rift in their relationship. According to Robertson, the couple would jointly purchase lottery tickets in the hopes of winning big. She claims they agreed that if one had won, the earnings would be shared between the two of them. However, according to Robertson, she had no knowledge that her boyfriend of two years has won the lottery last September. She recalls a winning ticket being announced in their hometown on the radio, and she inquired to Thibeault about it. She reached out to him via text and asked if they had won. He replied, “Yes,” upon hearing about the winning. But, once he got home, however, he told Robertson that they had not won. After a few days, Thibeault was preparing to move out of the couple’s residence and did not tell Robertson.

According to casino.org, Robertson said in an Oct. 2017 statement that she recalls Thibeault “did approximately 15 loads of laundry.” She says he did the laundry the night before and “didn’t put them into drawers and closets as if he was preparing to pack up and leave,” said Robertson. Ultimately Robertson hopes to receive half the Canadian $6.1 million winnings, which equates to about U.S. $4 million, on top of an extra half million or $397,000 for punitive damages, according to casino.org. She filed a lawsuit against Thibeault for unjust enrichment, as well as breach of trust.

Winnings Paid to Thibeault

Thibeault left his job and tried to collect the earnings from the lottery ticket. However, Robertson hired an attorney. This led to an injunction and halted the collection of any winnings. Thibeault would not be able to collect his earnings until the OLG, a regulator in Ontario, first decided on who would rightfully collect them. By December, it was determined by OLG that Thibeault was to rightfully receive half of the lottery winnings. The other half of the money will be held by the courts until legal proceedings are completed.

Court’s Decision

According to Thibeault’s lawyer, Richard Pollack, it could take a while before the legal proceedings are done. He says the case may not make it to the courts for another two, maybe three, years. Pollack adds it’s important that he ensures Thibeault’s name remains in good standing with this case. According to Thibeault, “there was never any agreement between him and Ms. Robertson,” Pollack told Global News. He even says Thibeault offered to take a polygraph test, which he passed. “He cooperated fully with OLG offering a polygraph exam,” said Pollack. “He submitted to one and passed with flying colors.” According to the DailyMail, associates of Thibeault said he had already planned for months to break up with Robertson, and that he “got lucky” by winning the lottery.

Robertson is now working with her lawyer to make sure her side of the story is heard. Steven Pickard, Robertson’s lawyer, also feels it’s of great importance that her side is brought into the public eye. Pickard said he thinks it is a case “the public has interest in as it’s something that offends a sense of morality.” He also adds that “juries are a way to allow the public to decide what is right.” Pickard also said Thibeault has “High handedness and callous disregard for Denise and her right,” according to DailyMail.co.uk.

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A Massachusetts native, blogger Angeline Everett grew up in the Allston neighborhood of Boston and earned a degree in casino management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. After graduating, Angeline moved to Atlantic City where she joined the young team at the Borgata Casino as a compliance representative, while blogging on the side. After a few years in the back office, Angeline moved to the floor to work first at a casual poker dealer and later casual poker floor supervisor. Fascinated with games of chance since she was a child, Angeline currently divides her time between blogging and work on her first book.