Vancouver Island woman’s family to court over $3m lottery jackpot
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Two of the adult children of a deceased Vancouver Island woman who won $3 million in the lottery last year are suing two of their siblings in a bid to get what they consider to be their share of the jackpot.
In July, Frances Lloyd was enjoying a low-key Sunday morning at her Parksville home when she decided to open up her laptop and check her ticket from the June 19, 2021 Lotto 6/49 draw, according to a press release issued by the B.C. Lottery Corporation at the time.
The woman couldn’t believe her screen when she saw that, along with a ticket purchased in Atlantic Canada, she’d matched 6/6 numbers to split the $6-million jackpot, for a “breezy $3 million.”
“I have always dreamed of winning,” Lloyd was quoted as saying. “This is my big pot.”
Lloyd said she phoned her daughter immediately to notify her of the jackpot. She planned to purchase a new home and gift some of the prize to her family.
But Lloyd died on Jan. 2 without leaving a will and testament, according to the lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
After winning the lottery, Lloyd deposited the money into her existing Royal Bank of Canada joint bank account that she had previously set up with her daughter, Lisa Turnbull, so that her daughter could assist her with the payment of her regular bills and make incidental purchases for her, says the suit.
She also gave Lisa about $500,000 to assist Lisa and her husband, Stephen David Turnbull, with the financing of a home in Nanaimo and to buy a vehicle or vehicles, it says.
In August the mortgage on the Nanaimo home was paid out and cancelled, according to the writ. Lloyd gave her son, Matthew Lawruk, $500,000 in October, says the writ.
Frances Graham, a resident of Langley, and Stephanie Kennery, a resident of Paris, Ont., the two other children of Lloyd, are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
“Lloyd did not give the plaintiffs any of the Lotto,” says their lawsuit. “When Lloyd died, Lisa Turnbull received the balance of the Royal Bank of Canada Joint Account and did not give the plaintiffs their share of the Lotto. The plaintiffs claim half of the $3,000,000 to be divided equally between the two of them.”
The plaintiffs are seeking a number of court orders and declarations to prevent the defendants from dissipating the lottery funds.
For example, they’re asking for an order that the money in the Royal Bank account be secured in their favour and an order that a copy of the bank records be provided to them.
No response has been filed to the lawsuit, which contains allegations that have not been tested in court. The defendants could not be reached.
