Savannah DeMelo Files Lawsuit After Cardiac Arrest Incident
Savannah DeMelo, a rising figure in the United States women’s national team setup, has filed a negligence lawsuit against a Louisville hospital and two of its doctors after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch last year.
The 28-year-old Racing Louisville midfielder collapsed during the first half of a National Women’s Soccer League match on 14 September 2025. She has not played since.
Lawsuit filed a year after on-field collapse
Court documents seen by BBC Sport show the case was lodged on Tuesday morning in Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky, exactly one year and one day after DeMelo’s collapse.
DeMelo is suing University of Louisville Health (UofL Health) and two physicians, Dr Sarabjeet Suri and Dr Jennifer Daily. The filing alleges 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.”
According to the lawsuit, Dr Daily — listed on her UofL biography as Racing Louisville’s chief medical officer — oversaw DeMelo’s care from January 2024 to July 2026.
The suit states that in March 2025, after DeMelo reported chest pain, dizziness and shortness of breath, Dr Daily referred her to Dr Suri for “evaluation and treatment.” Dr Suri, the filing says, took a medical history, conducted a physical examination and ordered diagnostic tests.
Almost six months later, DeMelo went into cardiac arrest during the NWSL match.
The lawsuit says she was later diagnosed and treated for ventricular tachycardia, an abnormal heart rhythm.
Career on hold and a painful year
DeMelo has spent her entire professional career with Racing Louisville and had broken into the USWNT, earning seven senior caps and a place in the USA squad for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where she started the team’s first two games.
Her progress stopped in an instant on that September afternoon. She has not returned to the field since.
On Tuesday, she marked the anniversary of her collapse with a post on Instagram, writing: “A year ago today, while playing soccer, I collapsed due to an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia, that caused me to go into cardiac arrest.”
She thanked people for giving her space during her recovery.
“I respect and appreciate the privacy everyone has met me with while going through everything I have this year,” she wrote. “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.”
The legal battle now runs alongside the fight that matters most to her: whether she can reclaim the career that once carried her to the World Cup stage.
