The Chase the Ace lawsuit was a 2018 Nova Scotia Supreme Court case in which Barbara Reddick sued her nephew, Tyrone MacInnis, after both of their names appeared on a ticket that won a $1.2 million jackpot in Margaree Forks. Reddick claimed the prize was hers alone; MacInnis said they had agreed to share. The case settled in September 2018, with Reddick receiving roughly $850,000 and MacInnis receiving $350,000.
How Both Names Ended Up on the Ticket
The July 11, 2018, draw was a fundraiser run by two Cape Breton volunteer fire departments.1CBC News. Chase the Ace Winners Margaree Forks Cape Breton Reddick, who lived elsewhere, saw a Facebook post about the draw and sent $100 electronically to her 19-year-old nephew in Glace Bay so he could buy tickets for her.2Global News. Chase the Ace Feud According to Reddick, she told MacInnis to add his name “for good luck.” MacInnis also wrote his own phone number on the ticket as the contact.3SaltWire. Nephew’s Share of Chase the Ace Prize Frozen When the ticket hit the jackpot, both names on it triggered the dispute.
The Split at the Winners’ Ceremony
Bernice Curley, chair of the Margaree Forks Chase the Ace committee, issued two separate cheques of $611,319.50 after consulting the Nova Scotia Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Division, which confirmed a split was acceptable because two names were on the ticket.1CBC News. Chase the Ace Winners Margaree Forks Cape Breton
Reddick objected immediately. At the ceremony, she announced, “I’m taking him to court.”4BBC News. Chase the Ace Lottery Dispute MacInnis tried to compare the arrangement to another game, saying, “No, but it’s just like the 50/50,” and Reddick responded that “the 50/50 has nothing to do with Chase the Ace.”2Global News. Chase the Ace Feud
What Each Side Claimed
Reddick’s position was that she alone paid for the tickets and that MacInnis’s name was a superstitious gesture, not a co-ownership arrangement. Her lawyer, Adam Rodgers, argued there was “no contract or agreement of any kind to share the proceeds” and that a name on a ticket does not by itself create a contract.5CityNews Toronto. Family Feud Over Chase the Ace Lottery Jackpot Lands in Court
Reddick acknowledged that she had earlier offered to share winnings from a separate weekly 50/50 hockey draw in Glace Bay, but said that offer applied only to that game.6SaltWire. And the Winner Is She also alleged MacInnis put his phone number on the ticket without her permission.3SaltWire. Nephew’s Share of Chase the Ace Prize Frozen
MacInnis said both names were on the ticket because Reddick had directed him to put his there as part of an agreement to share. He also said he had sent Reddick a video of the completed tickets before the draw.3SaltWire. Nephew’s Share of Chase the Ace Prize Frozen
The Court Order Freezing the Nephew’s Share
Reddick filed suit in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in July 2018 seeking to recover MacInnis’s $611,319.50 share, along with a preservation order freezing it while the case was pending.2Global News. Chase the Ace Feud
On August 27, 2018, Justice Patrick Murray granted the order. Applying a three-part test, he found there was “a serious issue to be tried”; that MacInnis would not suffer irreparable harm from losing access to the money, as he was employed and living at home; and that the risk of non-recovery was real, since MacInnis was a second-year Cape Breton University student working part-time at Tim Hortons with no significant assets beyond a used vehicle.3SaltWire. Nephew’s Share of Chase the Ace Prize Frozen7CBC News. Chase the Ace Margaree Barbara Reddick Tyrone MacInnis His half of the jackpot was locked up until the case resolved.
The Settlement
The parties reached a settlement on September 17, 2018, after a five-hour session with a judge in Port Hawkesbury.8CBC News. Chase the Ace Aunt Sues Nephew Jackpot Court4BBC News. Chase the Ace Lottery Dispute Reddick’s lawyer said the agreement was reached “mutually in order to avoid further court proceedings and to bring this matter to a final conclusion,” and that both parties were satisfied.
The Family Aftermath
Reddick had once described MacInnis as being “like a son to me.”1CBC News. Chase the Ace Winners Margaree Forks Cape Breton By January 2019, the two had not spoken since the July 2018 draw. Reddick told CBC, “He broke my heart. And I think about it all the time,” adding, “I’ll never put anyone else’s name on a ticket. Especially family. It hurt.”9CBC News. Chase the Ace Lottery Margaree Barbara Reddick Tyrone MacInnis MacInnis did not respond to CBC’s request for comment.