On April 3, 2025, Circuit Judge Mary G. Jolley of Volusia County, Florida, ruled that WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch must pay $5 million to the estate of Julian Lasseter, who died in a March 2022 DUI crash involving Sytch. The incident, which led to Sytch’s conviction and 17-year prison sentence, has now concluded in civil court.
The ruling states:
Pursuant to the Confidential Settlement Agreement reached by the parties, and through their counsel, IT IS ORDERED and ADJUDGED that Plaintiff, WHITNEY L. HILL, as Personal Representative of the Estate of JULIAN L. LASSETER, deceased, [ADDRESS DELETED]2, shall recover from Defendant, TAMARA L. SYTCH, [ADDRESS DELETED], the sum of FIVE MILLION DOLLARS and no/100 ($5,000,000.00), that shall bear interest at the rate of 9.38% from the date of this Final Consent Judgment, subject to adjustment pursuant to section 55.03, Florida Statutes, for which let execution issue.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED AND ADJUSTED that Defendant, TAMARA L. SYTCH (the “judgment debtor”) shall complete under oath Florida Rule of Civil Procedure Form 1.977 (Fact Information Sheet), including all required attachments, and serve it on the judgment creditor’s attorney, Alexandria G. Avera, Esq., [ADDRESS DELETED], 04/03/2025 03:07:01 PM Clerk of the Circuit Court, Volusia County, Florida within 45 days from the date of this Final Judgment, unless the Final Consent Judgment is satisfied or post judgment discovery is stayed.
Jurisdiction of this case is retained to enter further orders that are proper to compel the judgment debtor to complete form 1.977, including all required attachments, and serve it on the judgment creditor’s attorney.
DONE AND ORDERED in Chambers at Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida this 03 day of April, 2025. MARY G. JOLLEY, CIRCUIT JUDGE
This decision marks the official closure of the civil case, which stemmed from a confidential settlement reached in February 2025.
The lawsuit originally sought damages “in excess” of $30,000 and alleged that Sytch was intoxicated when she rear-ended Lasseter’s vehicle, causing injuries that led to his death. The suit claimed negligence and detailed the financial and emotional impact on Lasseter’s surviving family, particularly his adult daughter.
In court, Sytch expressed remorse for her actions and apologized to the Lasseter family, stating she wished she could trade places with Julian Lasseter. She later described the crash as a “terrible accident” in an interview with TMZ.
Sytch pled no contest to DUI manslaughter and related charges and was sentenced in November 2023 to 17 years in prison followed by 8 years of probation. She is currently incarcerated at a prison facility in Ocala, Florida, with a scheduled release date of November 2, 2039. Her request to serve sentences concurrently was denied.
At the time of the crash, Sytch had no valid driver’s license, had alcohol and cannabis in her system, and an open vodka bottle in the car. She had prior arrests related to driving offenses in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Despite her conviction, Sytch remains in the WWE Hall of Fame—the first inductee to be convicted of a felony post-induction. WWE has not removed or suspended her status, as has been done temporarily in the past with other figures.
