Savannah DeMelo Files Negligence Lawsuit After Cardiac Arrest
Savannah DeMelo, a rising figure in the United States women’s national team setup, has filed a negligence lawsuit against a Kentucky hospital and two physicians after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch last year.
The 28-year-old Racing Louisville midfielder collapsed in the first half of a National Women’s Soccer League match on 14 September 2025 and has not played since.
Lawsuit filed a year after on-field collapse
According to court documents seen by BBC Sport, DeMelo submitted the complaint to Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky on Tuesday morning, exactly one year and one day after her collapse.
The suit names University of Louisville Health (UofL Health), along with Dr Sarabjeet Suri and Dr Jennifer Daily, and alleges that they “failed to act as a reasonably prudent and competent medical practice, and such negligence was a substantial factor in causing DeMelo to suffer severe physical injuries, including, but not limited to, her cardiac arrest.”
Dr Daily is listed on her UofL Health biography as Racing Louisville’s chief medical officer. The filing states that DeMelo was under her care from January 2024 through July 2026.
In March 2025, as outlined in the lawsuit, Dr Daily referred DeMelo to Dr Suri for “evaluation and treatment” after the player reported chest pain, dizziness and shortness of breath. Dr Suri, the documents say, took a medical history, carried out a physical examination and ordered diagnostic tests.
Nearly six months later, DeMelo went into cardiac arrest during the NWSL match.
The suit states that she was later diagnosed and treated for ventricular tachycardia, an abnormal heart rhythm that can trigger sudden cardiac arrest.
Career on hold and a brutal year off the pitch
DeMelo has spent her entire professional career with Racing Louisville and had been on an upward trajectory before the incident, breaking into the USWNT and earning seven senior caps.
She was selected for the USA squad at the 2023 Women’s World Cup and started the team’s first two matches, a sign of how quickly she had climbed into the national team picture.
That momentum stopped instantly on that September night. She has not played since.
On Tuesday, DeMelo marked the anniversary of her collapse with a post on Instagram, addressing the ordeal publicly.
“A year ago today, while playing soccer, I collapsed due to an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia, that caused me to go into cardiac arrest,” she wrote.
She thanked people for giving her space during her recovery, adding: “I respect and appreciate the privacy everyone has met me with while going through everything I have this year. I’ll never be able to fully put into words how emotionally hard this year has been. There has been a lot of uncertainty and emotions intertwined with it all.”
For now, her future on the field remains uncertain. Her future in court is only just beginning.
