Trial begins for elderly Conn. sisters fighting each other over $500,000 lottery jackpot prize

Elderly Conn. sisters battle in court over jackpot

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — Two elderly sisters from Connecticut are in court fighting over a $500,000 lottery jackpot.

Eighty-four-year-old Theresa Sokaitis, of Middletown, and 87-year-old Rose Bakaysa, of Plainville, are in New Britain Superior Court.

Sokaitis is suing for a share of a $500,000 Powerball jackpot that Bakaysa and their brother, Joseph Troy Sr., won in 2005.

Sokaitis says she had a written contract with her sister to split gambling winnings from lotteries and casino games they often played together. But Bakaysa’s lawyer says the contract ended when the sisters had a falling out before the Powerball ticket was purchased.