UGA faces $40M lawsuit in crash that killed player, staffer

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Dave Willock, father of Devin Willock, is filing a lawsuit against the University of Georgia, according to legal documents.

This comes almost four months after Devin Willock was killed in a crash along with UGA staffer Chandler LeCroy.

An ante litem notice to the Georgia Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the governing body over the state’s public universities, before the lawsuit indicated that they could sue UGA and the board for $2 million.

The family claims there was a lack of oversight by football team officials and employees.

The lawsuit sights that the University of Georgia Athletic Association had “negligent entrustment of a vehicle to Chandler LeCroy and the negligent hiring, supervision, training and retention of Chanlder LeCroy and other agents and employees of the association....”

The lawsuit names multiple employees as well as LeCroy’s estate, Toppers International, Jalen Carter and multiple liability companies.

Willock’s attorneys claim prospective football recruits were at the Athens strip club on the night of the crash and that LeCroy was served alcohol at UGA events while assigned to drive recruits and families around.

LeCroy’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit as she was traveling 104 miles per hour just before the crash, according to police records.

Atlanta News First is reaching out to the Willock family as well as the University of Georgia for a response to this lawsuit.

Previously, UGA officials released a statement disputing what the ante litem notice claimed, saying they have not provided evidence to back up the statements.

The university issued this statement:

“While we continue to grieve for the Willock family, the demand letter from an attorney for Devin’s father is full of inaccuracies. The claims you have identified from the letter are false, and the university disputes them in the strongest terms. Mr. Jackson has not provided the university with any sources or evidentiary bases to support these reckless claims. As we have made clear, personal use of vehicles rented for recruiting activities was strictly prohibited. Ms. LeCroy was not engaged in athletic department duties around the time of the accident, and her personal use of the car after her recruiting duties ended earlier that evening was therefore unauthorized.”

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.