Jury orders NFL star Tyreek Hill to pay $500,000 for battery on ex-wife

MIAMI (Court TV) — A Florida jury ordered an NFL star to pay his ex-wife half a million dollars for a single instance of battery, while also finding that the wide receiver had not engaged in continuing domestic violence.

Tyreek Hill, a wide receiver for both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins, faced a lawsuit from his estranged wife, Lakeeta Vaccaro, tied to the couple’s divorce.

Vaccaro and Hill had an on-and-off relationship for years, with a brief engagement in 2021 that ended before they eventually married in 2023. Within months, the relationship turned violent, Vaccaro testified at the trial, as Hill demanded that she sign a postnuptial agreement. Vaccaro claimed she had no problem signing a contract, but balked at a clause in the proposed agreement that said she would receive only $1 in the event of claims of emotional damage or harm.

While Vaccaro’s testimony described incidents where Hill tackled her, twisted her breasts and nipples and attempted to physically remove jewelry from her body, Hill maintained that none of their arguments turned physical. Under cross-examination, Hill admitted that a fight between him and Vaccaro led him to put a hole in the wall, but said that was the result of his attempts to evade his wife. “She’s like trying to fondle whatever she’s trying to fondle and I’m trying to get out of there,” he testified.

Hill admitted he had not been the best husband and recognized his poor behavior in surveillance videos from inside his home, shown to the jury, that captured him frequently cursing. “I’m not proud of that; I’m ashamed,” he said. “The language was terrible. It was terrible. … But, you know, I’m not perfect. The only thing I can do is just learn from it and move forward, you know, and never talk to my co-parent like that ever again, which I won’t.”

The jury found that Hill had committed battery on Vaccaro on only one occasion — Jan. 11, 2024 — clearing him of allegations of battery and assault on seven other dates. The jury additionally found that Hill did not engage in continuing domestic violence and that he did not intentionally or recklessly engage in extreme and outrageous conduct that caused the victim severe emotional distress.

Based on their verdict, the jury awarded Vaccaro $500,000 in compensatory damages; the panel found no clear and convincing evidence that punitive damages were warranted.

Hill remains a free agent this season; on the witness stand, he described himself as a “gymnastics dad” who has been spending time with the daughter he shares with Vaccaro. Hill is a father to seven other children across three states.

The post Jury orders NFL star Tyreek Hill to pay $500,000 for battery on ex-wife appeared first on Court TV.

Court TV — Your Front Row Seat to Justice. Live gavel-to-gavel trial coverage, expert legal analysis, and in-depth crime reporting from America's most-watched court network. Watch on TV, at courttv.com, and on connected devices.