A family has been torn apart after their elderly father won almost $1 million on the lottery and shared it with his son, but left his daughter out of the winnings.
Now the lucky winner’s son says his father no longer talks to him, and his daughter had to prove she didn’t bully him into giving her $300,000 after her father took her to court to demand its return .
William Bampton, 92, earned $986,212.30 on the Tattslotto Golden Casket in March 2018 and put down a $50,000 down payment on a new home for his son, Larry, 66, less than two weeks later.
The following week he paid the remaining $505,000 for the four-bedroom house in Mountain Creek, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, to own jointly with his son.
But the Queensland court heard he refused to share his winnings with his daughter Sue Vourlides, 69, because her father did not want her husband, Jim, to get anything.
A family is torn apart after their elderly father William Bampton (center, with his son Larry, right)) won nearly a million dollars on the lottery, but then cut off his daughter from a share of the winnings
William Bampton, 92, won $986,212.30 on the Tattslotto Golden Casket in March 2018 and put down a $50,000 deposit on a new home for his son, Larry, 66, less than two weeks later
William Bampton co-owned this house with his son Larry in their namesake Bampton Crescent in Mountain Creek on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast
Despite living with his daughter, Mr Bampton refused in his will to grant her access to even any part of his money as long as her husband remained alive.
After an angry confrontation, Mr Bampton later relented and in August 2018 presented his daughter with a check for $300,000.
However, three years later Mr Bampton claimed he had given her the money under duress and demanded he return the money.
The case was dismissed out of court at Christmas after Judge Suzanne Sheridan said Mr Brampton – branded by the court as ‘strong-willed’ – was incapable of being bullied by his daughter.
William Bampton refused to allow his daughter even access to any part of his money as long as her husband remained alive
In her 39-page findings, Judge Sheridan rejected all claims of dementia for Mr Bampton and all allegations that Ms Vourlides had exerted undue influence over her father.
“It is difficult to imagine anyone telling Mr Bampton what to do, or anyone controlling his mind to such an extent that he is prevented from exercising his free will,” she said.
The argument is said to have destroyed the family.
“No one wins from this, it just destroys everyone in the family,” Larry Bampton told the newspaper. Courier mail.
“The worst thing that ever happened is he won the million dollars. One of the tragic lotto stories, I think.’
Ms Vourlides added: ‘Eventually I got over it, to be honest it has destroyed people’s lives.
“It’s all terrible.”
Mr Bampton said he plans to appeal the court’s ruling.
Larry Bampton said his father’s lottery win was the worst thing that ever happened to his family