What does a court do with a wife who claims not to have discovered that she was a million-dollar winner of a May 19, 2011 lottery drawing until only days before the ticket would have expired a year later, and 11 months after she was awarded temporary support and counsel fees in her pending divorce action?

Almost a year ago, the media covered the claim of Lolymary Questel, a Queens pre-school teacher, that she discovered her million-dollar lottery ticket in her purse only days before the one-year deadline to produce the ticket to the Lottery Commission would have expired. “I was cleaning out an old bag and found some Lottery tickets,” explained Questel to the Lottery Commission. “I checked the drawing results on the Lottery’s website and realized one of the tickets was a million dollar winner.” Questel, a regular Mega Millions player, spent $1 on a set of Quick Pick numbers for the twice weekly drawing.

Seven months before the drawing, Ms. Questel’s husband had commenced his divorce action on October 28, 2010 (just weeks after New York’s no-fault law went into effect).

On June 22, 2011, 5 weeks after the lottery drawing, Queens County Supreme Court Justice Pam B. Jackman-Brown awarded Ms. Questel temporary maintenance of $127.39 per week and $4,500.00 in interim counsel fees. In April, 2011, less than a month before the drawing, Mr. and Ms. Questel had entered a Stipulation under which Mr. Questel agreed to pay C.S.S.A.-formula interim child support and his then  77% pro rata share of educational, extracurricular, summer camp and unreimbursed health expenses.Continue Reading Wife Wins Million-Dollar Lottery While Divorce Action Is Pending