Dispute over ‘Gift’ lands Lottery Winner in Court

All was going well six years ago when William John Brampton from Queensland, Australia won a $657,440 lottery jackpot. Recently his family ended up in court over a disputed $200,032 ‘gift’ given to his daughter.

Now aged 92, he is estranged from his son and daughter and last month the case appeared in a Brisbane District Court.

He’s tried to reclaim the ‘gift’ that was given and now a legal battle is being fought. Last year there was a  dispute over a $2.1 billion Powerball win.

Soon after his lottery win, Mr Brampton did what many big winners do. He made a deposit on a new home. Later a further $336,741 was paid to complete buying the  property which  he co-owns with his son Larry.

He then made that $200,032 payment to his daughter, Suzanne Elaine Vourlides. Now he claims that she unduly influenced or used unconscionable conduct on him to make the payment.

The money was given to her soon after a massive argument between the pair in August 2018. That left him feeling “overwhelmed” and felt he had to make the payment. His daughter denies this and said that her father made the payment willingly.

Judge Sheridan dismissed the claim and suggested that Mr Brampton would have to pay costs unless the parties could come to some kind of agreement to end the dispute.

The judge said that although Mr Brampton was “of advanced age” and not in the best of health, he was not suffering from dementia. Therefore, she ruled that he “had full capacity” and “well understood” the decision to handle his financial affairs.

Her conclusion was that she was “unable to accept that Mrs. Vourlides took unconscientious advantage of Mr. Brampton.”  In her opinion, the decision to make the payment was “fair, just and reasonable in the circumstances.”

Speaking about the dispute, Mrs Vourlides said that “it’s destroyed people’s lives” and the “whole thing is terrible.” Her brother said that his father still isn’t talking to him and “no one’s a winner out of this.”

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