In tennis, a line judge’s call can change everything. For Lois Goodman, one call nearly ended her life.
Lois and Alan had been married for over fifty years. They shared the kind of quiet life that comes from decades of partnership, morning coffee, crossword puzzles, and long conversations about the past. Lois was respected around the world as a tennis line judge. She had officiated matches from small local events to the U.S. Open, known for her sharp eyes and even sharper instincts.
One sunny afternoon in Los Angeles, Lois finished judging a match and returned home expecting to find Alan watching TV. Instead, she found him motionless in bed. Her heart dropped. The coffee pot was still warm. At the foot of the staircase lay a broken mug, coffee splattered, blood smeared on the tiles.
Shaking, she called 911. Within minutes, police and detectives filled the home. The coroner examined the scene and took photographs of the shattered cup. To Lois, it looked like a tragic accident, a fall, a misstep, maybe a heart attack. But whispers began to spread that the scene didn’t add up.
Months passed. Lois tried to move forward, throwing herself into work to fill the void Alan had left behind. In August, she packed her bags for New York City to judge the U.S. Open. For a moment, she felt like herself again, focused, composed, back in her world of lines and precision.
Then, everything unraveled.
On a warm New York morning, Lois stepped out of her hotel room to find flashing lights, news cameras, and detectives waiting. “Lois Goodman,” one officer said, “you’re under arrest for the murder of your husband.” The words echoed like a serve hitting the court. The charge: bludgeoning Alan to death with a coffee cup.
The media pounced. Headlines called her “The Coffee Cup Killer.” Her decades of professionalism were buried under public suspicion. Yet Lois insisted she was innocent, that Alan’s death had been a tragic accident, not a murder.
Back in Los Angeles, investigators reexamined the evidence. Forensic experts found no trace of Lois’s DNA on the cup. There was no blood spatter to indicate a violent struggle. None of Alan’s blood was found on her clothing. The prosecution’s case fell apart. Eventually, the court dismissed all charges for lack of evidence.
Though cleared, Lois’s relief was bittersweet. “It’s like someone took my good name and smeared it,” she said. The Los Angeles coroner’s office stood by its initial findings, but Lois wasn’t done fighting. She filed a lawsuit to restore her reputation, determined that her story wouldn’t end with a false accusation. The case is still pending.
Even now, Lois continues to stand on the sidelines of tennis courts, her eyes scanning every line, as sharp and focused as ever. She judges fairly, calls honestly, and carries herself with quiet strength. But every time she reaches for her morning coffee, she’s reminded that a single cup once turned her life upside down.
At Headcount® Coffee, we share stories where ordinary rituals, like a cup of coffee, take extraordinary turns.
👉 Read more stories and explore our roast-to-order coffees.
Want to read more stories?
When Coffee Tastes Like Bleach
The Forever Coffee
(One of many true-crime coffee tales from Headcount Coffee, because not every morning brew ends peacefully.)
☕ Reflection
In life, as in tennis, one bad call can change everything.
🎾 Real Story Notes: The Lois Goodman Case
This story is based on the real-life case of Lois Goodman, a 70-year-old U.S. Open tennis line judge who was arrested in 2012 for allegedly murdering her husband, Alan, with a coffee cup. Prosecutors claimed she bludgeoned him during an argument, but forensic evidence failed to support the theory. All charges were eventually dismissed due to lack of evidence. Goodman later filed suit against the Los Angeles coroner’s office to clear her name, citing the damage to her reputation and career. The case remains one of the most bizarre and controversial murder accusations in modern sports history.
Sometimes, even the cleanest serve can be met with a dirty return.
