The High Court has continued orders freezing the assets of a woman ordered to pay her stepson more than €560,000 out of a lotto jackpot win.
Mr Justice Richard Humphreys ruled last Thursday that Mary Walsh must pay the money to David Walsh, plus his legal costs, after ruling Mr Walsh was part owner of, and entitled to, a one-sixth share of a €3.3 million winning ticket.
Mr Walsh (52), of Knocknagreena, Ballinasloe, Co Galway sued Mrs Walsh (66), Perssepark, Ballinasloe, claiming he was entitled to the one-sixth share on grounds his signature was among six on the back of the winning ticket.
Mrs Walsh, who was married to David’s late father Peter Walsh, denied this and argued the ticket was hers. She also claimed David Walsh was offered, and had accepted, the home where she and his late father lived in lieu of €200,000 from the win.
David Walsh rejected those claims and the judge accepted his evidence in that regard.
Assets
The judge put a stay on the order entitling Mr Walsh to the one-sixth share pending any appeal against the decision. Mrs Walsh was ordered not to reduce her assets below €929,000, a sum intended to meet his legal costs and payment of the one sixth share.
When the matter was briefly mentioned before the court on Monday, the judge continued those orders pending a full hearing of the injunction application to continue the freezing orders next week.
After a seven-day hearing, Mr Justice Humphreys last week said he believed the evidence of Mr Walsh over that of his stepmother.
He rejected Mrs Walsh’s evidence the reason she had allowed others to sign the back of the ticket was to enable them to avoid gift tax. He also rejected her claims David Walsh chose to take the family home valued at €135,000 instead of €200,000 cash.
The transfer of the house to Mr Walsh had nothing to do with the Lotto win, he held.
Mr Walsh had claimed he had been promised a share by his father who died in December 2011, but his stepmother failed to give him the money.