Savannah DeMelo Sues Louisville Hospital for Cardiac Arrest Incident
Savannah DeMelo is suing a Louisville hospital and two of its doctors, alleging their failures led to the on-field cardiac arrest that halted her career and stunned the National Women's Soccer League last year.
The United States midfielder, capped seven times for the senior national team, has filed a negligence lawsuit against University of Louisville Health (UofL Health), along with Dr Sarabjeet Suri and Dr Jennifer Daily, in Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky.
The filing landed on Tuesday morning – exactly one year and one day after DeMelo collapsed during a National Women's Soccer League match on 14 September 2025 while playing for Racing Louisville.
Allegations of missed warning signs
DeMelo’s complaint accuses UofL Health and the two physicians of failing “to act as a reasonably prudent and competent medical practice,” claiming that 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, DeMelo had been under the care of Dr Daily, Racing Louisville’s chief medical officer, from January 2024 through July 2026. The suit details a crucial moment in March 2025, when DeMelo reported chest pain, dizziness and shortness of breath.
Dr Daily, the filing says, referred her to Dr Suri for “evaluation and treatment.” Suri took a medical history, conducted a physical examination and ordered diagnostic tests.
Six months later, DeMelo’s heart stopped on the pitch.
The suit states that after her collapse she “was subsequently diagnosed and treated for ventricular tachycardia,” an abnormal heart rhythm that can trigger cardiac arrest.
Career on hold
DeMelo, 28, has spent her entire professional career with Racing Louisville. She has not played since the incident, which unfolded in the first half of that NWSL match and left teammates, opponents and fans watching in shock as medical staff rushed to save her life.
Her rise had been swift. DeMelo was selected for the USA squad at the 2023 Women’s World Cup and started the team’s first two matches at the tournament, a sign of the trust and expectation surrounding her role in the national team’s future.
Now her battle has moved from the field to the courtroom.
A painful anniversary
On Tuesday, DeMelo marked the anniversary of her collapse with a post on Instagram, speaking publicly about the ordeal while her legal action became public record.
“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.
“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.”
Her words underline the human cost behind the legal language: a prime-age international midfielder, sidelined for a year, unsure what comes next.
The lawsuit will now work its way through the Kentucky courts. DeMelo, meanwhile, waits to discover not just the outcome of her case, but whether she will ever step back into midfield for club and country.
