Siblings Go to Court Over Deceased Mother's $3 Million Prize Money

Two sisters have filed a lawsuit against their siblings over their share of the $3 million jackpot prize money their mother won months before her death.

Frances Graham and Stephanie Kennery sued their sister, Lisa Turnbull, her husband, Stephen Turnbull, and a brother, Matthew Lawruk, claiming they deserved a fair share of their mother's lottery prize.

Frances Lloyd was a lucky Lotto 6/49 draw winner in Vancouver in July 2021. She deposited her money in a joint bank account she opened years ago with Lisa, her primary caregiver.

By August of that same year, Lisa and her mother bought Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GIC) worth $1 million. Lisa then used part of her mother's prize to pay off her and Stephen's house mortgage, believing this was a gift for caring for their mother.

Lloyd also gave $500,000 to her son but stated "on numerous occasions" that her other children would not get shares of her lottery money. While she did not have a written will to confirm this fact, Lisa insisted that Lloyd meet with a lawyer to plan her estate if she died, per the Vancouver Sun. The mother also gave Lisa a power of attorney to run her financial affairs.

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Lisa Becomes Sole Owner of Mom's Bank Account

Lloyd passed away on Jan. 2, 2022, making Lisa the sole owner of the joint bank account she shared with her mother at the Royal Bank of Canada. Following this turn of events, Graham and Kennery filed several court orders that would prevent Lisa from accessing the funds and the GIC, which has now gained $1.5 million. The sisters have also petitioned the court to provide them with the bank records of their mother's former account, per the Times Colonist. 

While Lisa insisted in her counter-affidavit that she and Stephen did not ask for money after their mother won, Kennery said that the Turnbulls approached their mother for their mortgage payment. On the other hand, Kennery noted that she and Graham were the ones who did not ask for anything.

Lisa, however, confirmed that she gave $10,000 to Kennery after their mother died "for being a good sister." She said she wanted Kennery to have this money, knowing she would not get anything else from their mother's lottery winnings.

Lawruk has also issued his statement to tell the court that he believes that the remaining balance in their mother's former account must be "equally divided" among all of her children. The brother also said that the money their mother gave him and Lisa before her death were gifts.

Graham made it clear that she and Kennery are suing their siblings because they want to ensure that the handling of her mother's estate has followed the legal process.

Young Lottery Winner Won't Share With His Family

Meanwhile, another family's relationship has also turned sour due to a family member's lottery winnings. While this did not turn into a legal issue, the winner, a 24-year-old man, said he wished his family understood him and see that he is being financially responsible.

The unnamed man won a $5.6 million jackpot prize in January and did not give his family any share of his winnings. Instead, he invested the money with his wife to expand their financial portfolio after they paid off all of their loans.

For one thing, they bought an apartment complex that will give them a steady cash flow. They also bought mutual funds and stocks. This will allow them not to be slaves in the workforce until they retire.

The man explained that 70 percent of lottery winners "go broke" in a few years, and he didn't want to be part of that statistics, per LadBible. His decision shocked his family because they were planning trips using this lotto money.

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