Heartbroken Aunt suing nephew who claimed half of $1.6m lotto win

The saying money is the root of all evil rung true for one retired woman, after she became embroiled in a fiery dispute with her own nephew over a million dollar lotto win.

Barbara Reddick, from Canada, was left gobsmacked when her beloved nephew – who she describes as more like a son – laid claim to half of the $1.2m ( AU $1.62m) lottery jackpot.

The 57-year-old retiree claims she had sent Tyrone MacInnis $100 to purchase lottery tickets in a fundraiser, asking the 19-year-old to use his name on her ticket as well as his own as good luck, reports The Telegraph.

But the distressed aunt is now saying that she did not mean to imply that her nephew would be guaranteed any of the winnings, let alone half of the massive win.

However, MacInnis obviously misinterpreted her message as, last week, he turned up at a presentation ceremony to collect his share of the massive prize.

“I’m taking him to court. It was my ticket,” a disgruntled Barbara said. “Now he’s trying to lie and say I said split.”

Explaining the close relationship they share, the heartbroken aunt said he would have given him some of the money if he hadn’t have gone behind her back.

“I would have given him $150,000,” she insisted. “Tyrone is getting nothing from me. It’s just for the principle. We were so close. He broke my heart. He broke it. People go crazy when it comes to money.”

Despite the angry outburst, Barbara was only presented with a cheque for half of the jackpot and insisted she would be suing MacInnis for the remaining share which she believes is rightfully hers.

Read more: Woman in 200k inheritance battle labelled as ‘unfair’ by siblings

Barbara’s situation is not uncommon, as money can cause terrible rifts between families and friends. Earlier this year a concerned woman took to popular online forum Mumsnet after finding out she had received a whopping £120,000 (AU $211,980) in a relative’s will, while her siblings were given nothing.

Even though she handed over £20,000 to each of them from her share, the mum explained that her siblings had still labelled her “unfair” for keeping the majority of the funds.

Read more: ‘My mum deliberately snubbed me from her will and told me’

In another financial dispute, a daughter claimed she wanted to cut ties with her mother after finding out she had been left out of her will.

Have you ever been a dispute over money with a family member? What would you have done in this situation?