MPI hits up $1-million lottery winner for outstanding claims judgments

Savvy claims investigators may want to check the names of lottery winners, having observed Manitoba Public Insurer (MPI) recover on two judgments rendered against a convicted car thief who won $1 million at the end of July 2011.
Farrell Lavallee won $1 million at the end of July in a Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) scratch ticket game called Set for Life, according to a report in the National Post.
By law, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation published the names and photos of big winners. An MPI employee recognized the name of Lavallee, who was convicted for theft and his role in two collisions, one in 2000 and the other in 2001.
Lavallee originally owed a total of $31,419 after judgments in the two collisions. With interest, that total climbed to $41,000.
After seeing Lavallee’s name announced as a lottery winner, MPI filed court papers to access Lavallee’s bank account. The insurer has now reportedly recovered the two outstanding claims judgments.