Norma Lee Padgett was the key figure in the accusations that led to the Groveland Four case in 1949. At the time, she was a young white woman living in Lake County, Florida.

Padgett was married to Willie Padgett, and they were driving through rural Florida when their car broke down. This incident led to her accusations against four Black men—Sam Shepherd, Walter Irvin, Charles Greenlee, and Erron Lawton—whom she alleged assaulted and raped her.

Norma claimed that the four men approached her and her husband while they were stranded and that, after some initial interaction, they attacked her. She reported the alleged crime to law enforcement, triggering a violent manhunt and leading to the arrests of the four men.

Her allegations were heavily scrutinized over the years, mainly due to inconsistencies in her story and the context of racial tensions at the time. Critics have raised questions about her motivations and the credibility of her claims, especially considering the brutal treatment of the accused men and the eventual realization of their wrongful convictions.