“I am not asking for the impossible — I am simply asking for humanity during the worst time of my life,” Zoe Vandeloo wrote, according to the complaint

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After a couple spent nearly $16,000 on their dream wedding, the groom-to-be died just months before their ceremony. Now his fiancée is locked in a legal battle with their wedding venue over the money intended for the wedding they never had.

Diego Hernandez, 25, and his fiancée, Zoe Vandeloo, signed a contract with Posey Meadows, based in San Marcos, Texas, in March 2025, according to a complaint filed in July, which was obtained by PEOPLE.

In addition to setting a date for Nov. 20 of this year, the couple made a $1,000 deposit — and over the next 13 months, their payments to the venue totaled $15,909.28.

Then, on April 25, Hernandez died suddenly and unexpectedly.

“Diego’s death did not simply change the couple’s wedding plans,” the complaint read.  “It ended them.”

On April 27, Vandeloo’s sister contacted the venue’s day-of coordinator — who is not named as a defendant in the complaint — as well as the venue owner. According to the filing, their coordinator responded within minutes, saying they’d “be getting 100% refund on my part.”

However, per the complaint, the venue owner went on to say that while she was “so incredibly sorry” for their loss, the venue was “not in a position to issue a refund,” citing the cancellation clause in the agreement the couple signed when first booking the venue.

The venue owner did say a future “partial refund” was possible if the venue could re-book the date, the complaint alleged, which was reportedly called a “discretionary courtesy, not a contractual obligation.”

The complaint alleged that Hernandez’s mother then began contacting Posey Meadows, and in response, the venue owner sent a text on May 7, writing that if the family’s “hostile communication and personal attacks” the company would “retract [its] courtesy entirely.”

That same day, Vandeloo also penned a message to the venue owner, writing, “I am not asking for the impossible — I am simply asking for humanity during the worst time of my life.”

In June, Vandeloo sent the venue owner a written demand for a full refund, arguing that any “retention of the money would be an unjust and ghoulish windfall built on a young man’s death.”

She also said that if she still didn’t have her refund in two weeks, she’d be forced to sue, which she did on July 24.

“She asks this Court to declare what should never have needed to be said in a courtroom: that a business cannot keep nearly close to $16,000 paid by a young couple for a wedding, after one of them has died, by hiding behind a clause written for people who simply changed their minds,” read the complaint.

In a statement from Posey Meadows sent to PEOPLE through their attorney, the company said they were “heartbroken” to learn of the “private and tragic situation.”

“Since opening, we have sadly walked alongside other families through shocking losses like this. In each unique situation, Posey Meadows worked together with grieving survivors to offer them a full refund of payments, despite any contractual agreements,” the company wrote. “Our company was already working through the refund process with this family when we were served with a lawsuit. The decision for litigation has complicated this process.”

“Because this is now a pending legal matter, and out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not comment further,” the company added.

In response to Vandeloo’s complaint, Posey Meadows countersued for breach of contract.

According to their Aug. 17 court filing, which PEOPLE also obtained, the venue claimed they were willing to consider “working with’” Vandeloo regarding the remaining balance, but that instead she “refused to provide any proof of death and proceeded to file suit.”

Speaking with PEOPLE, Vandeloo’s attorney, Manuel Pelaez-Prada, claimed that he tried to provide a copy of Hernandez’s death certificate to Posey Meadows’ legal representation, but that offer was ignored.

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“Losing Diego was a catastrophe for them and their journey to healing will be long and difficult,” Vandeloo’s attorney tells PEOPLE in a statement. “I still can’t believe that they’re having to deal with the added pain of defending Zoe against this counterclaim.”

“The company and its lawyer might think that their countersuit was nothing more than a technical or procedural maneuver — they couldn’t be more wrong.  That counterclaim is doing a lot of damage to whatever little bit of healing Zoe and Diego’s parents can point to,” Pelaez-Prada continued, adding that the entire situation was “completely avoidable.”

 Speaking with ABC affiliate KSAT, Hernandez’s mother said the legal battle has been incredibly taxing.

“We don’t have a fight in us. We don’t,” she added. “We’re emotionally drained.”