Chase the Ace, a popular lottery to raise money in Nova Scotia, has resulted in a windfall and a heartbreak for Barbara Reddick when her ticket netted her $1.2 million (CDN).

The win got complicated when the jackpot was split between herself and her nephew, Tyrone MacInnis, whose name was on the ticket, along with Reddick’s.

Barbara Reddick said she asked her nephew to pick the ticket up for her, but she paid for it.

And she asked him to put his name on the ticket for good luck.

Well it paid off, but Reddick is saying she never agreed to split the jackpot with him, only the consolation prize.

Following the draw on July 12th, organizers wrote two cheques for the winnings, as there were two names on the ticket.

Now Reddick is suing MacInnis, who she describes as “almost a son”, for the other half, $600,000 (CDN),

Chase the Ace winning ticket drawn on July 12th in Margaree Forks, Nova Scotia. (Gary Mansfield/CBC)

A judge ruled on Monday, that MacInnis, a 19 year-old university student, cannot spend the money until the matter is settled.

Outside of court, Reddick said “I feel good” about the judge’s decision on the preservation order.”

Though Reddick is free to spend her share of the money, she said she hasn’t done so yet, and she has not spoken to her nephew.

“He broke my heart,” she told reporters.

Reddick said that before MacInnis claimed half the jackpot, she had intended to give him $150,000 of the winnings.

When asked whether the lawsuit was worth it, Reddick said she believes it is “for the principle.”

And she said she doesn’t believe her relationship with her nephew will ever be repaired.

The case could now go to mediation, as the judge set Sept. 17 for a settlement conference.

“We’ll sit down, everybody with a judge, and try to work out a settlement that makes everybody happy, but that’s to be determined how the parties approach it,” said Reddick’s lawyer, Adam Rodgers.

The settlement conference will take place in judges chambers and will not be open to the public.

(With files from CBC)