$15 Million Wrongful-Death Verdict for Family of Yeardley Love

On the night of May 2 to 3, 2010, Yeardley Love, a 22-year-old University of Virginia women's lacrosse player and recent graduate, was found unresponsive in her off-campus apartment. A medical examiner determined she died from blunt-force trauma to the head. George Huguely V, a fellow UVA lacrosse player who had been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Love, was arrested the same day.

Huguely was convicted of second-degree murder in 2012 and sentenced to 23 years in prison. His criminal conviction established the facts of the assault: he had forced his way into Love's apartment, where he struck her head repeatedly against a wall. Despite the criminal case, the Love family pursued a separate civil action seeking to hold Huguely financially accountable for the death.

The civil trial opened in Charlottesville in late April 2022. The legal team for Love's mother, Sharon Love, and her sister, Lexi Love Hodges, included Kevin Biniazan of Breit Biniazan alongside lead counsel Paul Bekman of Baltimore and Richmond attorneys Jeffrey Stedman and Irvin Cantor. The plaintiffs sought $29.5 million in compensatory damages plus $1 million in punitive damages.

The defense argued Huguely had been drinking heavily for more than 24 hours before the assault and did not intend to kill Love, contending his level of intoxication should mitigate the damages award. The jury rejected that argument on the central question of liability and found that Huguely's conduct was 'willful and wanton.'

On May 2, 2022, exactly twelve years after Love's death, the jury returned a verdict of $15 million in compensatory damages: $7.5 million to Sharon Love and $7.5 million to Lexi Love Hodges. The jury did not award punitive damages. Because the jury found willful and wanton misconduct, counsel noted the damages judgment cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. No appeal of the civil verdict has been reported.