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The October trial date in the lawsuit brought by the estate of Julian Lasseter, who perished in the March 2022 traffic incident that led to WWE Hall of Famer Tammy "Sunny" Sytch being convicted of one count of DUI causing death (DUI Manslaughter, a felony in the third degree), one count of causing death while operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked driver’s license (a felony in the third degree), four counts of DUI causing injury to a person, and three counts of DUI causing damage to property will likely be pushed back after a motion was filed by both sides before The Circuit Court of the Sevenths Judicial Circuit in and for Volusia County, Florida.
The original plan was for the trial to begin 10/7. Sytch currently has an appeal pending regarding whether she must deliver certain items to the Plaintiff for discovery after the Court ruled against her. Attorneys related to the case also have conflicts with other scheduled trials, so the two sides are asking for the current trial date to be paused and rescheduled after Sytch's appeal is ruled upon.
The lawsuit, seeking in "excess" of $30,000 in damages, states:
The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of Sytch, that the Lasseter family has sustained medical and funeral expenses due to Sytch's actions and that Lasseter's adult daughter has "has suffered, and will suffer into the future, the loss of her father's companionship, instruction, guidance, and mental pain and suffering as a result of her father's death."
Sytch apologized to the Lasseter family for Juliann Lasseter's death at her criminal sentencing, going as far as to say she wishes she could trade places with him. In a recent interview with TMZ.com, Sytch referred to the incident as a "terrible accident.
Sytch was sentenced to prison in November 2023 to driving under the influence manslaughter and other charges. She plead no contest and asked for forgiveness before the court at her sentencing. Sytch had an unsealed bottle of vodka in her vehicle and cannabis in her system when she was arrested following the March 2022 fatal DUI crash, which resulted in the death of Julian Lasseter. Sytch did not possess a legal driver's license at the time of the crash and had been arrested multiple times in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey in previous auto-related incidents.
Sytch is currently slated to be released from The Florida Department of Corrections on 11/22/39. She was transferred from Volusia County Corrections to a prison facility in Ocala, Florida after being sentenced to 17 years plus another 8 years of probation on 11/28/23.
Despite her conviction, Sytch remains a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. While Hulk Hogan and the late Jimmy Snuka had been suspended from the WWE Hall of Fame in the past, to date, no one has ever been removed. Sytch was the first WWE Hall of Famer to be convicted of a felony after being inducted into the Hall.
Sytch's public defender in Florida has moved forward with the appeal of the DUI sentencing against her, but no ruling has been made as of this writing. The court can rule directly on any motion, son there would not likely be any court hearings in that regard.
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