NEED TO KNOW
- A man is suing his ex, claiming that she stole his lottery winnings and then “ghosted” him
- Lawrence Campbell said he purchased a winning lottery ticket worth $3.6 million in January 2024 and asked his then-girlfriend to deposit the money in her account, because he didn’t have one
- He now alleges that she broke up with him and stopped returning his calls after taking the money
A man says his ex-girlfriend took his lottery winnings and then “ghosted” him — and now he’s suing her.
Lawrence Campbell of Winnipeg, Canada, claims he purchased a winning lottery ticket worth $3.6 million in January of 2024, according to a complaint filed in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench on May 14, per Canadian news outlet CTV News and Manitoba Court public records.
Campbell claims that after discovering he had a winning ticket, he and his then-girlfriend, Krystal Ann McKay, went to a local convenience store to claim the money. He alleges that he and McKay were in a “loyal, committed and promising relationship at the time,” per the complaint obtained by CTV News.
According to the documents, a representative from the Western Canada Lottery Corporation told Campbell that he would be ineligible to claim his winnings as he didn’t have a valid government-issued ID — and suggested that McKay redeem the winnings instead, per the news outlet.
Campbell alleges in the complaint that he had McKay deposit the money into her bank account, as he did not have an active account himself at the time.
However, per CTV News, the complaint alleges that McKay did not return to the hotel room she and Campbell shared several days after depositing the winnings into her account. Campbell also claims that McKay “ghosted him,” and refused to take his calls or answer his messages, blocked him on social media and took out a protection order against him.
Campbell also alleges that McKay told him that she wanted to break up and be with a “new guy,” per the outlet.
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In addition to suing McKay, Campbell also filed a complaint against Western Canada Lottery Corporation and the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, claiming that the situation resulted in bad advice and faulty protocols from both companies.
“This case is about systemic karma vs. the system itself,” Chad Panting, Campbell’s lawyer, said in an e-mail to CTV News. “A situation created or certainly enabled by the state-owned Lottery Corporations administering lotto claims in Manitoba.”
Meanwhile, McKay’s attorney, Conor Williamson, told the outlet that his client plans to dispute the allegations against her and will be filing a statement of defense.
PEOPLE reached out to attorneys for both Campbell and McKay, as well as the Western Canada Lottery Company and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, for comment on Sunday, June 1, but did not receive immediate responses.
Video of the couple claiming the money was released by CTV News in 2024. In the footage, Campbell and McKay can be seen holding a giant check for 5 million Canadian dollars with McKay’s name on it.
In the video, McKay shared that she planned to use the money to “take care of the family.”
McKay is currently under court order not to purchase or gift any property, money or motor vehicles, or make any investments while the case is underway, per public court records.
A hearing for the case is scheduled for June 13.
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