David Walsh Lotto dispute talks fail in High Court

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Settlement talks in David Walsh’s High Court dispute with his stepmother Mary Walsh over a €3.38m Lotto win failed on 1 February 2017. The case was before Mr Justice Richard Humphreys. The proceedings were reported on 2 February 2017.

David Walsh said he signed the winning ticket alongside five others, including his father and stepmother, and claimed entitlement to €564,000, representing one-sixth of the prize. The winning ticket was sold in Ballinasloe on 22 January 2011.

Mary Walsh maintained that she was the sole winner and could distribute the money as she saw fit. She said she offered David Walsh €200,000 or her Ballinasloe home and that he chose the house. David Walsh said his father and stepmother had decided to buy a new house regardless of the win.

Completing her evidence on 1 February 2017, Mary Walsh nevertheless accepted that everyone who signed the ticket was a part-owner entitled to a share of the winnings. She disputed that David Walsh signed the declaration expecting one-sixth, saying she had been told he chose the house.

Mary Walsh said a National Lottery official advised that signatures would allow gifts from the winnings to be tax-free. Former Lottery claims manager Eamonn Hughes said his impression was that the syndicate formed after the win. He said syndicates did not necessarily divide winnings equally and distribution was not the Lottery’s concern.

Eamonn Hughes could not recall speaking to Mary Walsh, but said he probably advised her to obtain intended beneficiaries’ signatures. Questioned by David Walsh’s counsel, he also accepted the proposition that Mary Walsh had told him she was part of a syndicate.

The hearing continued shortly after 2pm following the unsuccessful settlement discussions.