Man seeks to have ex’s assets frozen in $5-M lotto fight

A man suing his former romantic partner over a winning $5-million lottery ticket hopes her assets will be frozen until a lawsuit over the cash is settled.

Lawyer Chad Panting appeared before Court of King’s Bench Justice Richard Saull on Friday to argue in favour of an injunction order to temporarily prevent Krystal Ann McKay from accessing the money and compelling her to provide a summary of her accounts.

Panting said the order would ensure McKay does not “deplete her assets” before the courts determine whether his client, Lawrence Campbell, is entitled to any of the Lotto 6/49 winnings.

In a statement of claim filed last week, Campbell said he purchased the ticket in January 2024, but allowed McKay to claim it as her own — believing he could not receive the money without a government-issued ID and no active bank account.

Campbell accused McKay of cutting contact with him shortly after the funds hit her account.

“Somebody who sees a claim coming and might risk losing their assets is going to start sticking them in their mattress,” Panting said. “We believe we need an accounting of her assets in order to be able to determine if she’s been withdrawing unusual sums of money.”

Conor Williamson, who is representing McKay, disputed the allegation, and said legislation exists to protect plaintiffs like Campbell in such situations.

The lawyer asked Saull to adjourn the hearing, noting McKay retained him as legal counsel on Thursday and he had not had ample time to review the documents and exhibits.

He also raised an issue with the injunction motion, noting it cited legislation from Ontario and the extent of the request was unclear.

“The breadth of what they are asking for is she can’t touch any penny she owns,” Williamson said. “It’s just not clear, so I think we need to be provided the materials, the motion needs to be amended and then we have to have an opportunity to file a responding affidavit.”

Williamson questioned why Campbell was pursuing the cash with a lawsuit more than a year after it was won.

“If you think you won $5 million, you probably won’t wait… 15 months to take the steps to get here, so I think the urgency is certainly in question,” the lawyer said.

Panting fired back, saying Campbell did not previously have money to hire a lawyer and believed he and McKay might come to an agreement outside of court.

“She was leading him on, she was sending him text messages, trying to dangle the possibility of reconciliation and that’s part of her manipulation,” he alleged.

Williamson said that contradicted Campbell’s claim that McKay cut all contact with him after she received the money.

“He couldn’t get ahold of her, so how has she been leading him on this whole time?” Williamson asked.

McKay was not present in court.

The lawyers debated for about 20 minutes before Saull adjourned the hearing until June 13.

“We won’t let this thing get away from us, but we can’t do it today. It’s not fair; it’s simply not fair,” he said.

Panting agreed to amend the portions of the injunction motion that refer to Ontario legislation, and to submit other legal documents.

Williamson said he would respond with legal filings before the next appearance.

Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries and Western Canada Lottery Corp. are also named as defendants in Campbell’s lawsuit. The latter is a non-profit that manages lotteries for several provincial and territorial governments, including Lotto 6/49.

The lawsuit claims the Western Canada Lottery Corp. provided improper advice to Campbell, and accuses Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries of having deficient or non-existent oversight when disbursing the funds — making both organizations vicariously liable, it said.

Dale Beynon, the lawyer representing the non-profit, appeared in court alongside Williamson, but did not make any submissions.

None of the claims have been tested in court, and the defendants have not issued statements of defence.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca