Family torn apart over nasty lotto feud

Barbara Reddick is suing her nephew Tyrone MacInnis following the lottery win. Photo / Facebook

In July, news.com.au reported on the sad case of a Canadian family divided by a life-changing lottery win.

And now, the saga has taken a new twist, with a judge freezing half the winnings as a nasty legal battle rages on.

The story began when 19-year-old Tyrone MacInnis and his aunt Barbara Reddick discovered they had both won the top prize in the Margaree Chase the Ace lottery, worth CA$1.23 million ($1.4m).

But while a beaming MacInnis was photographed alongside his aunt claiming their giant novelty check earlier this year, their relationship disintegrated soon after.

Reddick, who lives in the small town of Margaree Forks in Nova Scotia, claims the pair never agreed to split the winnings, although she has admitted sending her teen nephew CA$100 via an internet transfer to buy tickets on her behalf.

According to the UK Telegraph, Ms Reddick also told Mr MacInnis to put both names on the ticket for "good luck" — but denies she ever intended to share any prize.

Instead, the 57-year-old said she had been prepared to give her nephew CA$150,000, but that he had insisted he was owed half, as both names were on the ticket.

Things turned ugly at the cheque presentation, with the CBC network reporting Ms Reddick as saying MacInnes "didn't deserve" the cash.

"See you in court," she reportedly said at the event. "He's dead to me."

Reddick stuck to her guns, and the case is now before the courts.

And according to Global News, Supreme Court judge Patrick Murray has now frozen half of the winnings — MacInnes's share — while the dispute is dealt with.

"Unfortunately, what should have been a joyous occasion was not," the judge said at a ruling this week.

According to the Canadian news outlet, Reddick said the pair's relationship could "never" be fixed following the feud.

Next month, MacInnes and Reddick will both meet for a settlement conference with a judge in a bid to reach an agreement without having to go to trial.

Reddick's lawyer Adam Rogers said he hoped a compromise could be made.

"We'll sit down with everybody with the judge and try to work out a settlement that makes everybody happy but that's to be determined by how the parties approach it," he said, according to Global News.