Woman Sues Former Partner Over His Lottery Win: The Case Continues
What happens when a lottery win turns really sour and the money that was supposed to bring joy and happiness corrupts the people involved, ultimately destroying the lives of those around them? This is one such story, and the dramatic case still continues. Read on to discover how a woman is suing her former partner over his lottery win and how greed can unravel even the closest of bonds.
Is 24Lottos a scam in Canada?
Denise Robertson and Maurice Thibeault’s Story
This stranger-than-fiction saga is exactly what unfolded between Ontario-based couple Denise Robertson and Maurice Thibeault. The pair won $6 million on the Canadian Lotto 6/49 in September 2017. But instead of celebrations and shared dreams, Thibeault packed his bags and vanished from the home they shared, leaving Denise Robertson in disbelief and heartbreak.
Denise had no clue her partner of several years would walk away from their relationship with their winning ticket, let alone do so in secret.
Court Injunction Followed
After his sudden disappearance, Robertson, 46, took swift action by filing a court injunction that froze the lottery payout until the dispute could be resolved between her legal team, Thibeault, and the Ontario Lottery Regulator.
A prepared statement issued by Robertson’s law firm explained her deep disappointment:
“I am greatly saddened and disappointed by what has happened here. This could have been a very happy and exciting time for us as a couple to do things we could only dream of doing.”
Robertson discovered that Thibeault had gone to extreme lengths to keep the lottery win hidden from her, claiming the winnings as his own and cutting her out entirely. But she wasn’t about to let him get away with it so easily.
A Sudden Disappearance
The couple had always played the lottery together and shared an unspoken agreement: if they ever won big, they would split the proceeds. When the lucky numbers were drawn in Chatham, Ontario, Robertson was optimistic but didn’t think much of it when Thibeault assured her they hadn’t won.
But days later, on the morning of September 25th, Thibeault left for work and never returned. By the time Robertson came home that evening, he had empty the house of all his belongings, including his passport. It was clear that Thibeault had made a clean break with no intention of returning.
A Plot Unveiled
While Denise was left devastated, Maurice Thibeault was busy plotting his next steps. He contacted his employer to say he wouldn’t be returning to work and sent them a photo of the winning ticket. He had been lying to everyone—his partner, their friends, and family. Eventually, word got out, and it wasn’t long before Denise learned of her partner’s betrayal through the rumor mill.
She realized that the man she thought she knew had double-crossed her in the worst way possible.
Legal Battle Over Lottery Winnings
Robertson immediately took legal action, seeking to claim half of the $6 million. In her statement of claim filed in a Windsor court, she accused Thibeault of breach of trust, unjust enrichment, deceit, and more. She sought $500,000 in damages, the return of her rightful portion of the winnings, and demanded that Thibeault pay her court costs.
Robertson’s lawyer argued that their long-term relationship constituted a common-law marriage, and as such, they had always shared both lottery purchases and any smaller winnings. He argued that Thibeault’s sudden departure was nothing short of a calculated betrayal.
Thibeault’s Defense
Maurice Thibeault, however, denied any agreement to split the winnings. His legal team portrayed the situation as simple—he bought the ticket, he won the money, and as far as they were concerned, it was all his. They downplayed Robertson’s claims, framing the entire case as nothing more than an unfortunate breakup over a winning lottery ticket.
Thibeault’s lawyer asserted,
“This is no more complicated than a game of bingo. He purchased the ticket, won the ticket, and he claimed the prize. He is a good and honest man, and what is at stake here is his reputation.”
The Case Takes a Turn
In a rare move, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) decided to pay half of the winnings ($3 million) to Thibeault while holding the other half in escrow until the court could resolve the dispute. On January 5, 2018, Thibeault was pictured holding his half of the prize—a whopping $3,073,361.30.
Meanwhile, Denise Robertson’s battle for her share continued, with her lawyer pushing for a jury trial to decide whether or not the couple had an agreement to split their winnings.
A Case of Morality?
As the case unfolded, many Canadians took Robertson’s side, arguing that Thibeault’s actions were not just legally questionable but morally reprehensible. “I think he owes her $3 million—it’s life-changing money,” said Dakota Hodgson, a Chatham resident.
Others, like Clair Culliford, echoed the sentiment, adding,
“Morally, he should give her some. He should avoid the court action.”
While the legal battle is ongoing, it’s clear that this case will test not only the letter of the law but also the moral standards around fairness, trust, and partnership.
What’s Next?
As of the latest update, the case remains unresolved. Denise Robertson is hopeful that the courts will recognize the agreement she claims to have had with Thibeault and award her half of the winnings she believes she’s owed. Meanwhile, Thibeault’s camp maintains that there was no such arrangement and that the winnings are entirely his.
The case is a sobering reminder that money can complicate even the strongest relationships. In the end, both Robertson and Thibeault’s fates will rest in the hands of a court, and only time will tell who walks away with the prize.
Technically, there is no common-law relationship because supposedly they did not cohabitate for at least 3 years. However, just look at the guy’s behavior sneakily pretending he did not win: if he had nothing to hide, why did he do so then? Look at past behavior, they supposedly shared winnings, so that is established pattern and precedent.
It doesn’t matter about the 2 people’s genders, it’s really about this person trying to do something shady to fool the other. If he was honorable, he would have sat her down, said “look, I don’t love you anymore, I’m leaving, but I (we) won this lottery, and even though legally we aren’t in a common-law relationship, I don’t want to spend years fighting in court and wasting $$$$ in lawyers because there are arguments about our lotto arrangement. Let’s come to a compromise, 70/30 or 60/40.” This is what a decent person would have done instead of doing what he actually did.
The only reason why they want a jury (the ex girlfriend’s lawyers) is so that they can attempt to manipulate the jury and paint the boyfriend as the bad guy in this even though he did nothing wrong. If this woman is at least a little bit smart, she will take a minor settlement (100K – assuming he will even offer it or any for that matter) just to let the dispute be done and over with as she’s clearly in the wrong here. I hope the guy wins.
They are not married so she shouldn’t be getting a dime
They were in a common law relationship and it’s only fair it was split. I guarantee if the roles were reversed HE would be going after the money too. And rightly so.
Pretty obvious he tried to cheat her out of it.
They are both owed half and should split it.. and yes I’d say that even if the roles were reversed.
Ok, so what happens if two-men, not even talking about two homosexuals, are living together in the same arrangement? Does guy A get to sue guy B over lottery winnings because they lived together and are considered common law? This woman and man don’t even have kids and she expects a payday. I hope he wins and further to that, I hope he sues her for damages on top of it all when it’s all over. She needs to be made an example of. There’s no proof of her claims that they agreed, and believe me, the few screenshots of so-called evidence, weren’t even evidence of anything! LOL, the text shows a conversation with him basically not saying much, but she’ll try to suck him dry anyways. Poor guy, what a gigantic pain in the ass this must be.
If the genders were reversed, I don’t think this story would be in the news cycle. People would tell him to not “live off a woman” and “get a job”.
They were not married, shacking up is not the same thing.
HE bought the ticket
SHE did not buy the ticket
SHE has no proof of them buying together
SHE has no proof of a written or verbal contract saying they would split lotto winnings
Speculation here but maybe if she treated him better she would have kept the man and the money and quite frankly why should she be entitled to his money just because they were roommates that smashed naughty bits?
What if you have two men who are roommates and technically-considered common-law? Does the one roommate get to claim ownership of half of the wealth? What if the man and woman were simply friends and nothing more? They don’t even have children for crying out loud. Any honest person with an honest heart can see what is *most likely* going on here, obviously conjecture on my part, but the woman is a leech and the guy probably had enough of her BS and took off once he got the good news that he had finally caught a bit of a break in life. I can almost guarantee that their relationship was probably already borderline dead at that point.
Also, what’s with the passport comment? He had moved out, why would he leave an important piece of personal documentation behind? The ex-girlfriend makes a few mistakes which clearly paints her as someone trying to exploit an ex-partner. This is sick.