Money, they say, is the root of all evil, and even when someone tries to do a nice thing, situations can get out of hand so quickly. Just ask David Dawes, who won over $200,000,000 in the EuroMillions lottery back in 2011. Since that time he's been in physical fights with his son and been sued. Now it's hard to see a way for this father and son to reunite.
A recent court ruling means David is going to hold onto his millions, but he may never get his son back.
When he won the lottery, David was overjoyed and his son Michael was the first person he called.
"You'll always be taken care of," he said at the time. Michael took that sentiment of support and love, and put it to the test.
Michael quit his job in IT, bought a house, a car, and even gave a huge amount of money to his partner's family. His partner also quit his job as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy.
With no money coming in the pair proceeded to go through life with their hand out.
In two years they went through almost $5 million dollars. Take a moment to let that sink in.
In a million dollar home, driving a BMW and throwing around cash like there was no tomorrow, Michael went through more of his father's money than you will ever make.
Time and time again Michael would show up looking for more cash. Being a loving father David often obliged. Until enough became enough.
At Angela's birthday party the pair had a falling out for the ages. Michael showed up empty handed and was generally dismissive of his stepmother. As the night went on both Michael and David drank more and more. The predictable happened.
When David refused to give Michael any more money, his son flipped.
Demanding that he pay £5,000,000, or nearly $7,000,000 for Michael to continue living his life of excess, Michael made repeated comments about his stepmother's appearance and, at one point, said his father "never deserved the money."
The night ended when Michael was physically removed from the home, and they haven't spoken since.
That's when Michael got the courts involved. His claim: That when his father said he would "always take are of him" that obligated him to always give him money whenever he "needed" it.
Find out what the courts said on the next page
In court Michael outlined his case, saying his father made repeated statements expressing unconditional love and support. He even went so far as to say that when his father gave him more money, it indicated that he always would. When a lawyer mentioned that David had expressed his displeasure with his son's spending Michael replied:
"My expectation was that this was an ongoing process, that there was more money coming in, and that this would be the process throughout my life."
The very face of entitlement.
During the trial it came out that Michael gave nearly $500,000 to his partner's family, spent over $1500 per week on groceries and spent over $40,000 per month.
These factors helped Judge Nigel Gerald make his decision.
"There was no basis on which any rational or normal human being could conclude that they could go back for more money whenever they wanted," said the judge, denying Michael's claim to his father's fortune.
The father and son haven't spoken since the night of Angela's birthday, but maybe, with no trial between them, they will be able to mend fences. A lot will depend on if Michael is finally ready to grow up however.