A Chatham woman is not giving up in her battle for half of a $6.1-million lotto prize.
Denise Robertson filed a statement of claim against her former live-in boyfriend Maurice Thibeault in a Windsor court on Monday, saying she is entitled to half of the prize money.
Thibeault, 46, collected half of the Lotto 6/49 prize worth $3,073,361 at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto on Jan 4. The winning ticket is from the Lotto 6/49 prize from the Sept. 20, 2017 draw.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation left the other half of the prize money with the courts to decide its rightful owner.
Robertson’s lawyer Steve Pickard says Thibeault now has 20 days to respond to the court with a statement of defence. He also expects Thibeault will make his own claim on the remaining lotto prize.
Pickard tells CTV News they are also asking for a jury to hear the case.
According to her affidavit, Robertson claims the couple has been buying Lotto 6/49 tickets for almost their entire relationship, and they lived together from July 2015 until September 2017.
Robertson says she would sometimes purchase the lotto tickets or give money to Thibeault to purchase them, and they always agreed to share the winnings.
“Together they dreamed about winning the lotto” says the sworn statement of claim. "They both love muscle cars, they would each buy one and buy a large property in the country and build a large shop to work on their cars."
When hearing there was a winning ticket sold in Chatham, Robertson says she texted Thibeault and shared the messages in her statement.
- Denise: “Did you buy a 649 tix for last night?
- Maurice: “Yes”
- Denise: “OMG …check it!!!”
- Maurice: “I will need to check my ticket.”
- Denise: “12 million---2 winners …Chatham and Quebec.”
- Maurice: “That would be nice” “I don’t need all of it” “Just a piece”
- Denise: “yup …I’ll start planning the floor plan of the house.”
- Maurice: “Ok”
But Robertson says she was told by Thibeault that they didn’t have the winning ticket.
Four days later, Robertson claims they left for work in the morning, and when she returned, Thibeault had moved all of his things out, including his clothes and passport.
Robertson says she also later learned that Thibeault told his boss that they had broken up and he was quitting his job.
Thibeault’s lawyer, Richard Pollock, says in an email to CTV Windsor “the truth is that Mr . Thibeault denies any agreement, has nothing to hide and has fully cooperated with OLGC 's investigation.“
Pollock also says Thibeault “has voluntarily submitted to a polygraph examination, the results of which he is prepared to share to protect his reputation.”
Pickard says his client is also seeking $500,000 in damages, a declaration that she is the owner of half of the winnings and that Thibeault covers her court costs.
None of the claims have been proven in court.