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A wedding venue in Texas has agreed to refund nearly $16,000 to a woman whose fiance died months before their scheduled ceremony, bringing an end to a legal dispute that saw the business countersue the grieving bride-to-be for breach of contract.
Zoe Vandeloo and Diego Hernandez, 25, had planned to marry on Nov. 20, 2026, at Posey Meadows, a wedding venue near San Marcos, Texas. However, Hernandez died unexpectedly on April 25, leaving Vandeloo to cancel their wedding and seek the return of $15,909.28 the couple had already paid.
After months of unsuccessful negotiations, Vandeloo filed a lawsuit in July, prompting the venue to pursue a counterclaim. The dispute was eventually resolved on Oct. 21, when the business dropped its legal claim and Vandeloo's attorney confirmed that the parties had reached a settlement providing for a full refund, according to local broadcaster KSAT.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the couple signed a contract with Posey Meadows in March 2025 and made an initial $1,000 deposit. Over the following 13 months, their payments reached nearly $16,000.
Two days after Hernandez's death, Vandeloo's sister contacted the venue to explain the circumstances and request a refund.
Although the wedding coordinator reportedly indicated that payments under her responsibility would be refunded, venue owner Julie Campbell cited the contract's cancellation policy and said the business could not issue a refund.
The venue instead offered to consider returning part of the money if another couple booked the original wedding date. Other suggested alternatives included moving the reservation to a different date or using the payments toward another event.
As communications grew increasingly tense, Vandeloo appealed directly to the owner on May 7.
"I am not asking for the impossible—I am simply asking for humanity during the worst time of my life," she wrote, according to the complaint.
After sending a formal demand for repayment in June, Vandeloo filed a lawsuit on July 24, arguing that retaining the money for a wedding that could no longer take place amounted to unjust enrichment.
Posey Meadows responded with a counterclaim for breach of contract, maintaining that the agreement made payments nonrefundable and alleging that Vandeloo had refused to pay the remaining balance.
The business also claimed the family had failed to provide documentation confirming Hernandez's death, while Vandeloo's attorney, Manuel Pelaez-Prada, maintained that his offer to provide the death certificate had gone unanswered.
In a statement to PEOPLE, the venue said it had been working through the refund process before receiving the lawsuit and argued that the legal proceedings had complicated its efforts to resolve the matter.
On Oct. 21, KSAT reported that Posey Meadows had withdrawn its counterclaim and that Vandeloo's attorney had accepted a settlement offer providing for a full refund of the couple's payments.
The venue also confirmed that it would not seek any additional money from Vandeloo.
In its latest statement, Posey Meadows maintained that it had requested proof of Hernandez's death before making an exception to its cancellation policy, claiming the death certificate did not reach the company until mid-August.
The business expressed condolences to Hernandez's family and said it regretted that the legal proceedings had complicated the situation.
The settlement ended the dispute over the wedding payments, although the reports did not establish that the refund had already been transferred to Vandeloo.
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