Professional soccer player sues doctors, including her cardiologist, after in-game cardiac arrest
Savannah DeMelo, a professional soccer player with Racing Louisville FC, has filed a lawsuit against University of Louisville Health and multiple physicians after she suffered a cardiac arrest during a match and collapsed on the field in September 2025.
In the new lawsuit, dated Sept. 11, DeMelo alleged that the staff at University of Louisville Health failed to diagnose and manager her cardiac disease, leading to this on-field incident and causing her to incur “medical, hospital and other care-related expenses” that are expected to continue going forward. The lawsuit also claimed this has caused DeMelo to suffer a “permanent impairment in her power to labor and earn money” as well as a “loss of enjoyment of life.”
In a recent online post about this incident, DeMelo said she collapsed during that 2025 match due to “an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia.” She also thanked the doctors who helped her that day.
Additional details about this lawsuit
In addition to University of Louisville Health, DeMelo also specifically named University of Louisville Physicians, cardiologist Sarabjeet Suri, MD, and sports medicine specialist Jennifer Daily, MD, as defendants in the lawsuit. She was under Suri’s care for several months before the on-field incident, according to the lawsuit, and she was first referred to Suri by Daily.
The lawsuit alleges that these clinicians “acted negligently” in a way that led to “severe physical injuries including, but not limited to, her cardiac arrest.”
DeMelo has demanded a jury trial. She is asking for a judgement that includes a “sum which will fairly and adequately compensate” her for the “injuries and damages she has sustained” in addition to “any and all other relief to which she may be entitled.”
University of Louisville Health is not commenting on the lawsuit at this time.
Sports reporter Roey Hadar shared the full complaint here.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.