A jury discovered former Kansas Metropolis and Miami receiver Tyreek Hill liable on Tuesday evening for 2 counts of battery in his civil trial. The identical Miami jury discovered him not liable on one other 5 counts of battery, one rely of assault, one rely of intentional infliction of emotional misery, and one rely of constant home violence.
The jury awarded Hill’s estranged spouse, Lakeeta Vaccaro, $500,000 in compensatory damages, however didn’t award any punitive damages.
The trial happened as a part of the couple’s ongoing divorce wherein Vaccaro mentioned Hill bodily and verbally abused her throughout their marriage, together with as soon as attempting to punch her within the abdomen whereas she was pregnant with their daughter. Hill advised jurors that that he did verbally abuse his spouse, whom he in flip accused of stealing his cash, however the NFL wideout mentioned he didn’t bodily damage her.
(The grievance that talked about the bodily abuse was at first made confidential by a courtroom clerk resulting from a request from Hill’s authorized crew. After a gaggle of media shops, together with Defector Media, intervened, the doc grew to become public.)
Jurors have been offered with seven counts of battery—every related to a unique date on which Vaccaro mentioned Hill damage her—in addition to one rely of assault, additionally related to a selected date. Of their combined verdict, jurors appeared to say that, for sure dates, they felt Vaccaro had offered sufficient proof and, for others, she had not.
These two dates have been from early January 2024 and April 7, 2025. Vaccaro advised the courtroom that on the January date she and Hill received in a combat a few proposed post-nuptial settlement that escalated to Hill knocking her down, yelling at her, ripping off her necklace, and placing his arms round her neck. Whereas on the stand, attorneys offered a photograph that confirmed a purple mark close to her collarbone. Vaccaro mentioned she took the image not longer after that battery, when she noticed the purple mark close to her neck.
On April 7, 2025, Vaccaro’s mom referred to as Sunny Isles Seashore police, sounding scared whereas the couple fought. Jurors heard items of that 911 name. In addition they heard audio from a nanny cam that was recording on the time. Reporters weren’t allowed to broadcast the nanny cam footage, nevertheless Vaccaro’s lawyer, Paul Schwiep learn aloud from it throughout closing statements. (You may also learn a full transcript of it right here.)
“We’re gonna see when the crew come over right here. We’re gonna see what can occur” Schwiep advised the jury, quoting from the transcript, earlier than asking the jury, “Is there a veiled threatened in that?”
Evan Marks, one other lawyer for Vaccaro, advised Defector afterward: “Tyreek Hill was discovered by a jury to have dedicated battery towards his spouse, and the jury awarded compensatory damages. Home violence is unacceptable. We’re happy with the jury’s verdict.”
Hill’s authorized crew mentioned they too thought-about the decision a victory, specializing in the eight counts on which the jury discovered him not liable, in addition to Vaccaro getting a lot lower than her attorneys had requested throughout closing statements ($8 million, one for every rely of battery or assault). Lawyer Michael Gottlieb advised Defector: “From our consumer’s perspective, this was a protection verdict. They alleged way more egregious conduct and, primarily based on the jury’s compensation award, this was a protection verdict.”
In the end, Vaccaro’s authorized crew requested jurors to consider her testimony that Hill bodily attacked her a number of occasions and that she didn’t communicate up about it to extra individuals as a result of she noticed how starstruck they have been by Hill’s fame. They pointed to supporting testimony from her relations, together with her mom and sister, in addition to the 911 and nanny cam audio.
Hill’s attorneys, in the meantime, requested jurors to depend on the testimony of a number of cops who responded to requires service involving the couple in three totally different Florida areas—Orlando, Southwest Ranches, and Sunny Isles Seashore. All testified that they didn’t make an arrest every time they have been referred to as. And Hill’s authorized crew centered on how lengthy Vaccaro stayed with him, even after she mentioned the bodily abuse started. As Gottlieb advised jurors in his closing statements: “In spite of everything this abuse, she went to the Professional Bowl with him.”
At one level through the trial, whereas being questioned by certainly one of his attorneys, Christi Brilliant, Hill was requested if he believed he had been a great husband.
His personal reply: “Man, I do not. I do not.” So Brilliant requested him to clarify in what areas he wasn’t a great husband, and Hill replied, “I do not. I actually do not. I simply suppose that, effectively, I am going into soccer phrases, however I simply suppose that after watching the movie, there have been loads of areas I can enhance in.”
Whereas taking part in for Oklahoma State, Hill pleaded responsible to home abuse of his pregnant girlfriend. (This system dismissed him, and he completed his school profession at Division II West Alabama). In 2019, then within the professionals with Kansas Metropolis, Hill was a part of investigations completed by regulation enforcement and youngster welfare brokers into doable youngster abuse. No prison fees have been introduced within the 2019 case. New particulars emerged about it because of the current civil trial, nevertheless the choose didn’t enable something from 2016 or 2019 to go earlier than the jury.
There is not any technique to definitively know if the trial had any affect on the 32-year-old’s makes an attempt to re-sign with a brand new NFL crew. Hill’s NFL profession already gave the impression to be winding down final 12 months after a brutal knee harm. The Fins launched him 5 months later, and no crew signed him to their 2026 squad.
That did appear prone to change as the brand new NFL season started and a number of other groups, together with Hill’s former squad in Kansas Metropolis, misplaced receivers to accidents. With the trial looming, Hill’s agent had mentioned he anticipated his consumer to signal with a crew inside a number of days. Then the trial started. Per week later, Kansas Metropolis introduced that it had signed a brand new vast receiver who had beforehand received a Tremendous Bowl with them: Justin Watson.
