SoFla Guide Editors
A Miami jury on Tuesday found former Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill liable on two counts of battery brought by his estranged wife, Lakeeta (Keeta) Vaccaro, and not liable on the eight remaining claims, the Associated Press and WPLG Local 10 reported. The jury awarded Vaccaro $500,000 in compensatory damages, according to ESPN, a fraction of the $8 million her lawyer requested during closing arguments. No punitive damages were awarded.
What the jury decided
The six-person jury returned its verdict on October 13, 2026, after nearly four hours of deliberation, ESPN reported.
According to the Associated Press and WPLG Local 10, the two counts on which Hill was found liable stemmed from an incident in January 2024 and another from April 2025. The eight counts on which he was found not liable included battery, assault and continuing domestic violence.
WPLG Local 10 reported that the case originally involved 11 claims. One count was voluntarily dismissed by Vaccaro’s side before deliberations began, leaving 10 for the jury to consider.
The civil assault and battery trial was part of the couple’s divorce proceedings. It was held in Miami and lasted roughly a week. Hill and Vaccaro were married in November 2023, and Vaccaro filed for divorce on April 8, 2025, one day after police reported a domestic dispute at their Miami home. Vaccaro alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse during the approximately 18-month marriage, beginning in January 2024.
The money, and how both sides read it
The gap between what was asked for and what was awarded is the headline number. ESPN reported that Vaccaro’s lawyer Paul Schwiep asked the jury during closing arguments to award $8 million in compensatory damages. WPLG Local 10 reported that Vaccaro’s attorneys argued for as much as $1 million per count.
The jury settled on $500,000, with no punitive damages, according to ESPN.
Hill’s attorney, Michael Gottlieb, framed the outcome as a win. “We’ve always felt from the beginning that this was a money grab and I think that the jury validated that today,” Gottlieb said, via WPLG Local 10.
Vaccaro’s side pointed to the findings of liability. “The jury deliberated for three and a half hours, and they determined that Mr. Hill committed domestic violence against his wife,” attorney Evan Marks said, via WPLG Local 10.
Schwiep, speaking to ESPN, put the damages in perspective. “Money doesn’t undo the harm, but it’s just how our civil justice system works,” he said.
What was said on the stand
Hill testified during the trial and mostly denied the allegations, ESPN reported, though he admitted he shoved Vaccaro and “created a hole in the wall” in one instance. According to the Associated Press and 12 On Your Side (WKBT), Hill characterized Vaccaro’s claims as “false allegations.”
ESPN reported that Hill testified he was “deeply ashamed” for having told his wife he was “able to get people to hurt her,” but denied physically abusing her.
Vaccaro, in her testimony, said Hill “treated me like I was, just, a man,” according to the Associated Press and 12 On Your Side (WKBT).
In his closing argument, Schwiep told the jury, “Her account is consistent and it’s corroborated by contemporaneous evidence,” ESPN reported.
What it means for Hill’s football future
Hill, 32, played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dolphins. He suffered a dislocated knee and torn ligaments in September 2025 while with Miami, according to the Associated Press and WPLG Local 10, an injury that ended his season. The Dolphins released him in February 2026, and he is a free agent as of the verdict.
The verdict does not close the book on the league’s involvement. An NFL spokesperson told ESPN that Vaccaro’s allegations against Hill remain “under review of the personal conduct policy.” That review was ongoing as of Tuesday.
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, described Hill’s NFL playing situation as fluid following the verdict.
For South Florida fans who watched Hill’s time in aqua and orange, Tuesday’s outcome lands as a mixed result: a jury found him liable on two counts, cleared him on eight, and awarded a sum well below what his estranged wife sought. What comes next, both in the NFL’s review and in any further proceedings tied to the divorce, remains to be seen.
