The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission has decided to pay out half a disputed $6 million plus lottery winning to Chatham-Kent’s Maurice Thibeault, holding the other half until the dispute is resolved.
Thibeault was living with Denise Robertson at the time he bought the ticket and realized it was a winner. As previously reported, he did not inform Robertson of the winning ticket and left her a few days later.
Robertson obtained a lawyer and is fighting for half of the winnings, as the couple rotated each week buying tickets with the intention of sharing if a winning ticket was purchased.
The OLG delivered their decision via letter to Robertson. Her lawyer, Steve Pickard, said she is evaluating the next steps in the dispute.
Pickard said the OLG has taken the position that they will distribute $3 million to Thibeault and pay $3 million into court to hold pending an Order of the Court.
“OLG has now completed its investigation of this matter and reached its decision as to payment of the Sept. 20, 2017 Lotto 6/49 jackpot prize in the amount of $6,146,717.60. As you have claimed entitlement to one-half of the prize, being approximately $3.07 million, OLG will retain this portion of the prize. The other one-half prize share is undisputed by you and it is OLG’s intention to pay this share to Maurice Thibeault, subject to any applicable deductions, on or about Dec. 30, 2017,” the letter reads.
The letter also informed Robertson the OLG will hold on to “the disputed prize share for a period of 45 days,” and if the “OLG is not advised of a resolution of these matters within 45 days of this correspondence, OLG shall pay the disputed prize share into court on notice to both you and Mr. Thibeault.”
“Ms. Robertson feels that she is now placed in a position of unfairness. Mr. Thibeault will have the benefit of his half of the winnings to fight Ms. Robertson’s legitimate claim to her half. Ms. Robertson will have to rely on her own resources to ensure that she is heard fairly in these proceedings,” Pickard said in a statement.
“I keep hoping that Maurice will simply do the right thing and acknowledge our agreement to share, knowing that he would have expected me to share with him if I had been the one to go to the store that day,” Robertson said.
