62-year-old lottery winner Lynn Anne Poirier won a $1 million jackpot in 2007 and was later sued by her then boyfriend of 16 years Howard Browning for failing to share her winnings after he apparently purchased her ticket. After a 9 year legal battle, a jury ruled that Poirier must pay Browning $291,000 of her winnings. Poirier followed that up by filing for bankruptcy.
The ruling finds that though the former couple had an unwritten contract, it is still valid and binding. For what its worth, Poirier did not list Browning as a creditor in her filing, instead listing the case as “pending.” Browning’s attorney Sean Sheppard argued that another $150,000 should be tacked onto the $291K he was awarded, citing the interest accrued since 2007.
Poirier vehemently denied ever making a deal with Browning during their relationship.
Never under any condition, any place, anywhere did I say I would split lottery winnings with Howard Browning.
At the time the winning lottery tickets were purchased, Browning was unemployed and says he paid for the tickers, even providing an ATM receipt where he withdrew a few hundred dollars before making the purchase. Poirier counters that argument, saying that she bumped into him at the same gas station and they purchased separate tickets.
Browning goes on to say that he suspected something was off when Poirier disappeared from the house they shared, stopped returning his phone calls, only to return and order him to leave. She later took him to court to force him out.
