Savannah DeMelo sues UofL Health and two doctors over on-field cardiac arrest in September 2025
Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo has filed a negligence lawsuit against UofL Health and two named physicians after she suffered cardiac arrest on the field during an NWSL game on 14 September 2025, the complaint was filed on Tuesday, a year and a day after the incident.
The complaint, shown in a screenshot of the filing, alleges UofL Health “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.” A clerk with the Jefferson Circuit Court confirmed the case was filed on Tuesday morning. Sources close to DeMelo and the club said Racing has decided it will not continue its relationship with UofL Health after the current season.
Those sources said neither of the two physicians named in the suit are employees of Racing Louisville; one is listed on the club’s website as chief medical officer and both provide services to the team under an agreement between the organisations. Racing is reportedly searching for a new medical partner ahead of the 2027 season. The club is already in the process of finding a replacement medical partner.
DeMelo’s contract was due to expire at the end of this season, and sources said she has reached a verbal agreement to remain with Racing pending league approval; the deal could be announced as soon as next week. She has resumed full training with her teammates this week, and a source indicated the current timeline could have her involved in the match on 25 September. That fixture will see Louisville host the San Diego Wave.
A Racing Louisville spokesperson declined to comment, UofL Health said it was unable to comment on pending litigation, and a representative for DeMelo did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The filing and the club’s decision on its medical partnership have both been handled amid those outstanding public statements.
DeMelo has spent her entire professional career with Louisville after being selected fourth overall in the 2022 NWSL draft. Her role in midfield and set-piece ability contributed to her surprise selection to the United States’ 2023 Women’s World Cup squad, making her the third player in USWNT history to make a World Cup roster without previously being capped.
In late 2024 DeMelo was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes an overactive thyroid, and she disclosed the diagnosis midway through the following season after exiting a game on 22 March 2025 citing dizziness and chest tightness. Six months later she collapsed on the field during a game in Seattle; Angel City defender Savy King also suffered cardiac arrest on 9 May 2025. “Savy King, my heart goes out to her,” DeMelo told ESPN. “I can’t imagine how scared [she was] and what she’s feeling, but we do have very different situations. … Mine was more due to the medication I was on and what my thyroid was doing to my body.”
The complaint now filed in Jefferson Circuit Court proceeds alongside Racing’s search for a new medical partner, and DeMelo could be involved for Louisville as soon as their 25 September home match against the San Diego Wave.