Savannah DeMelo sues University of Louisville Health and two doctors after on-pitch cardiac arrest

Savannah DeMelo, a United States women's national team midfielder, has filed a negligence lawsuit against University of Louisville Health and two doctors after collapsing on the pitch during a National Women's Soccer League match on 14 September 2025. The case names Dr Sarabjeet Suri and Dr Jennifer Daily and was lodged in Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky on Tuesday morning, a year and a day after the incident, according to documents seen by BBC Sport.

DeMelo, 28, has seven senior caps for the United States and plays professionally for Racing Louisville, the club connected to the Kentucky court where the suit was filed. She collapsed in the first half of the NWSL match between Racing Louisville and Seattle Reign on 14 September 2025 and has not appeared for the club since the event. The lawsuit was brought against University of Louisville Health (UofL Health) and the two named physicians on grounds of medical negligence.

The filing accuses UofL Health and the two doctors of failing in their duty of care, stating 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." The complaint sets out those allegations as central to DeMelo's claim for damages.

The suit identifies Dr Jennifer Daily as Racing Louisville's chief medical officer "according to her online UofL biography" and says DeMelo was under Dr Daily's care from January 2024 to July 2026. It alleges that in March 2025 Dr Daily referred DeMelo to Dr Sarabjeet Suri after DeMelo reported chest pain, dizziness and shortness of air; the documents state Dr Suri obtained a history, performed a physical examination and ordered diagnostic tests.

Nearly six months after that referral, DeMelo suffered the on-field cardiac arrest, and the legal filing records subsequent clinical treatment. "She was subsequently diagnosed and treated for ventricular tachycardia [an abnormal heart rhythm]," the suit states, specifying the post-collapse diagnosis provided in the documents.

DeMelo has spent her entire professional career with Racing Louisville and has not returned to play since collapsing during the match. The lawsuit and the timeline it sets out include her ongoing absence from the team following the September 2025 incident.

In an Instagram post marking the anniversary of the collapse, DeMelo wrote: "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." DeMelo was part of the United States squad at the 2023 Women's World Cup and started the team's first two games.