Contract Law
Judge Rules for Elderly Sister in Lottery Dispute, But Can’t ‘Repair the Discord’
A Connecticut judge has ruled an 87-year-old woman doesn’t have to share her $500,000 lottery jackpot with her 84-year-old sister because their contract to split winnings had already ended.
Judge Cynthia Swienton ruled the sisters’ notarized contract ended in 2004 during a spat over a few hundred dollars, according to the Associated Press and USA Today. As a result, Rose Bakaysa can keep her money.
Swienton called the case a “tragedy” in her decision. “While the court may be able to resolve the legal dispute, it is powerless to repair the discord and strife that now overshadows the once harmonious sisterly relationship,” she wrote.
