84-Year-Old Sister Will Let Powerball Feud Rest

The octogenarian who sued her sister over $500,000 in Powerball winnings is letting the case go.

Last week, a judge decided that Theresa Sokaitis, 84, of Middletown, was not entitled to a share of the lottery winnings her sister won in 2005.

On Monday, she told the Hartford Courant that she would not appeal a judge's ruling that denied her a share of a jackpot her 87-year-old sister won.

Sokaitis talked with her lawyer and decided she won't challenge the May 12 ruling by a New Britain Superior Court judge.

The sisters had signed a contract agreeing to split gambling and lottery profits, but then there was an argument over a loan.

At the center of the five-year legal battle was whether the sisters were gambling partners on that lucky day when stars and Powerballs aligned.

No, the judge decided. The sisters had rescinded the contract and Bakaysa had won the prize with her brother. Bakaysa says the deal to share winnings ended in 2004 during a spat over a few hundred dollars.

The judge ruled that the contract did end during that argument.

Read the decision here.

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