David Walsh, who sued his stepmother for a share in a Lotto jackpot he was part of has won his case and will walk away with £480,000 - a one-sixth share of the £2.9million Lotto win.
Walsh took his case to the High Court in Ireland which ruled in his favour on Thursday. Mr. Justice Richard Humphreys ruled that Walsh was part of the syndicate and co-owner of the winning ticket and was entitled to approximately £480,000 share of the jackpot.
Walsh, who was one of six signatories on the back of the winning ticket, sued his stepmother Mary Walsh, who was married to his late father Peter Walsh, claiming he was entitled to a one-sixth share.
The judge said evidence given by Walsh’s stepmother Mary Walsh during the seven-day hearing was “not credible”, contained “self-contradiction” and was “unreliable”.
Outside court following the ruling Walsh was seen looking delighted.
In court, he claimed that his late father had told him after the win that he would be looked after and would not have to worry about money ever again. However, he did not get his share after his father died.
Mrs. Walsh opposed the claim and argued that she was the sole owner of the winning ticket, which was bought in Ballinasloe, Co Galway on January 22nd 2011.
She had claimed that she, her late husband and four other relatives had signed the back of the ticket to avoid paying gift tax.
The court heard that her son Jason received £257,000, her son Tony £380,000 and Kevin Black, a nephew of Peter Walsh, received £86,000.
She claimed that David Walsh was offered the option of having £171,000 from the Lotto win or the home that she and her late husband shared at Ballinasloe, but that he opted for the house. Mr. Walsh denied this.
The transfer of the property, valued at £116,000, was completed in December 2011 when Peter Walsh died.
'Justice has prevailed' – a happy, and wet, David Walsh after the High Court rules in his favour in Lotto case pic.twitter.com/2XqC3mlMwr
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 2, 2017
Following the conclusion of evidence on the seventh day of the hearing Mr. Justice Humphreys said he accepted the evidence given by David Walsh as being credible, unlike the evidence given by his stepmother which the judge said had given evidence that was “fundamentally inconsistent” and that she “lied on oath”.
The judge did not accept that Mrs. Walsh was the sole owner of the winning ticket nor did the court accept her claim that her stepson had been offered the house instead of the £171,000.
Given the valuation of the house it did not make sense that David would do himself out of £55,000, the judge said.
The judge also found that the transfer of the house had nothing to do with the win, that there was no mention of the lotto win or that the transfer was being done as a result of the win in the file of the solicitor who handled the transaction.