The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation does not want to be involved in a lottery dispute between an estranged couple from Chatham-Kent.
Denise Robertson has filed a separate statement of claim over the Lotto 6/49 prize, saying she was the common-law spouse of Maurice Thibeault when he won $6.1 million in September of 2017.
Her lawyer, Steven Pickard, claims Thibeault broke up with her, then within a week, tried to claim the total prize.
A lawyer representing OLG appeared before a judge in Windsor Superior Court on Monday, asking to give the court $3 million that remains in dispute.
James Doris said to Justice Greg Verbeem “the OLG is a stakeholder in a fight in which it has no stake or interest.”
Thibeault has already received half of the jackpot. His lawyer, Richard Pollock, argued Monday “the OLG is responsible to disperse the money, and it can’t run to court every time it doesn’t want to make a decision.”
Justice Verbeem decided to "reserve" his decision on OLG’s motion, but did not explain when he would make a decision.
No date has been set for a trial over the disputed winnings.
Thibeault has also launched a lawsuit against the provincial lottery regulator, seeking a total $825,000 in damages from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
