Pickleball player Renee Love went to Better at Pickleball courts located at the Chula Vista Elite Athletic Training Center on Aug. 19, 2025, to take part in a few pickleball matches.
After a pickleball game, Love took a break on the side of the court to catch her breath.
She went to lean against a black chain-link fence behind the court.
Unbeknownst to Love, an electrician had mistakenly connected wiring from a nearby light pole to the fence, energizing the black chain-link fence with more than 100 volts of electricity.
The electric shock surged through her body, knocking Love unconscious. The force of the electricity propelled Love into the air onto the pavement, injuring her head, back, body and nervous system, according to a July 8 lawsuit Love filed against the city of Chula Vista, Better at Pickleball and Elite Athletic Services, obtained by Times of San Diego.
“Based on our investigation, this was not a danger that came out of nowhere,” Love’s attorney Brian Mason said in an email statement.
“The responsible parties have an obligation to act immediately, whether that means closing the courts, warning patrons, shutting off the power, or making repairs,” Mason said.
In her lawsuit, Love accuses the city, the facility and those in charge of the operation of negligence, premises liability and creating a dangerous condition of public property by refusing to close the facility after learning the fence was electrified.
“Defendants failed to close the courts, failed to barricade or restrict access to the fence, failed to disconnect or shut off the dangerous electrical source, failed to authorize timely repairs, and failed to warn Plaintiff and other patrons of the danger,” the lawsuit said.
Better at Pickleball is a pickleball club located at the Olympic Training Center and offers classes and tournaments for beginners and professionals of the sport. The facility opened in September 2024.
Staffers from Better at Pickleball told Times of San Diego the fences have since been repaired and there is now a plastic covering on top of the fence to prevent similar instances from occurring again.
In a phone call with Times of San Diego, a representative from The Chula Vista Elite Athletic Training Center, which manages the site, said they had no comment on the pickleball courts.
The city of Chula Vista and Better at Pickleball also did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
“Our client should never have been placed in that position,” Mason said. “This lawsuit seeks to ensure that the people and entities responsible are held accountable.”
