Man pays off woman to resolve civil lawsuit

Ludmila Konickova hadn't known him long. They'd met 18 weeks earlier through an Internet dating service, but she claims it was a trusting and "committed relationship."

She also claims she gave her 52-year-old boyfriend, Kenneth Garbe, $20 to buy a lottery ticket for the June 2 Super 7 draw, saying she took it on faith he would pass on any winnings.

The ticket was a $12.4 million winner.

But Garbe tells a different story about the ticket, saying she has no claim to the money. And he also claims he since found out she was having sex with an 82-year-old man while they were dating — an allegation she denies.

Now, the once-happy couple, who split five months ago, have settled a legal dispute over the lottery winnings, cutting short what could have been a bitter and messy legal battle involving love and money.

The spat is outlined in court documents filed in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, where Konickova claimed half of the prize.

The case was settled this week, according to Vancouver lawyer John Logan, acting for Garbe, a former Vancouver school board employee.

The story has an interesting beginning. When Garbe checked his winning lottery ticket last June, he thought the winning sum was $12,000. When he went to claim it, he was shocked to learn his winning sum included three more zeroes. A lottery official had to give Garbe a magnifying glass so he could see for himself.

He and Konickova posed for the winning photograph, in which Garbe was in a wheelchair, recovering from knee surgery.

Days later, Garbe dumped Konickova, who then filed a civil lawsuit, claiming she gave Garbe the money that purchased the winning ticket.

In her legal action, Konickova said she should have received at least $6 million, but since Garbe breached his unwritten contract to share the winnings, she should be entitled to the entire $12.4 million, plus interest.

"I am afraid, with respect, that I disagree with that conclusion," B.C. Supreme Court Justice Eric Rice said in an interim ruling earlier this month.

"The evidence of Ms. Konickova potentially supports an entitlement to half of the prize or $6 million plus interest," said the judge, who decided to freeze only half the lottery winnings until the court could resolve the matter.