Woman wants to sue former lottery operator over alleged advice on €3.3m win

A woman from County Roscommon is seeking High Court permission to pursue a negligence claim against the former National Lottery operator, An Post National Lottery Company, over alleged advice given following a €3.3 million lottery win in 2011. Mary Walsh claims she was instructed by a representative of the operator that gifts could be exempted from taxation if recipients signed the winning ticket. Acting on this advice, Mrs Walsh and five others, including her stepson, signed the ticket. This subsequently led to separate legal proceedings against her. In 2017, the High Court ruled against Mrs Walsh in a claim brought by her stepson David Walsh, ordering her to pay him €560,000 plus legal costs. The Court of Appeal later allowed her appeal as part of a settlement in 2018. Mrs Walsh now seeks leave to sue the former lottery operator, which entered voluntary liquidation in 2014. The company opposes the application, arguing permission should have been sought earlier and that the claim is bound to fail given the previous adverse judgment.