USTA must pay $9 million to former top junior tennis player in sexual abuse case | tennis

A tennis player has been awarded $9 million in damages after she accused the U.S. Tennis Association of failing to protect her from a coach who allegedly sexually abused her at one of his training centers.

The lawsuit filed by Kylie McKenzie in Florida in March 2022 alleges that Anibal Aranda, who was employed by the sport’s national governing body for about seven years and later fired, used his position as a USTA coach to gain access to at-risk female athletes and engaging in sexual violence against them. McKenzie was 19 and Aranda was 34 when she claimed he abused her.

“I couldn’t be happier with the result. I feel vindicated,” McKenzie said in a statement on Tuesday. “It was very difficult, but I now feel like it was worth it. I hope I can be a role model for other girls to speak up, even when it’s difficult.”

The AP generally does not name people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but McKenzie agreed that her identity may be used in reporting on her lawsuit.

Her lawsuit said the USTA was negligent in failing to protect her from sexual assault and was negligent in keeping Aranda as a trainer after he sexually assaulted a USTA employee.

As a junior player, McKenzie, now 25, reached the highest rank of her career in 2016 with 33rd place. The year before, she compiled a 20-6 record in junior competition, including wins over Sofia Kenin, who later went on to win the championship at the 2020 Australian Open, and Tamara Zidansek, later a semifinalist at the 2021 French Open. In 2022, she said McKenzie said the alleged sexual abuse negatively affected her confidence and self-esteem and that the fear she felt from the abuse consumed her on the tennis court in 2019 and 2020. “It hurt me as a person and hurt me as a player,” McKenzie said.

A Florida jury on Monday awarded McKenzie $3 million in compensatory damages and an additional $6 million in punitive damages.

“We are very pleased with the jury’s decision to reward Ms. McKenzie for her pain and suffering, but more importantly, we believe the jury’s decision to award punitive damages sends the right message to all sports organizations “She must take the necessary steps to protect the athletes she is exposed to.” Banner,” her attorney Amy Judkins wrote.

USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said the organization would appeal.

“We sympathize with the plaintiff and what she has been through. “We do not deny your allegations against a coach – and have never done so,” said Widmaier.

But Widmaier said the USTA was “deeply disturbed” by the decision, including the fact that “the court ruled that the USTA was liable because one of its employees – a non-athlete – was required to tell her about her own experiences with to report to this coach.” the USTA; an incident that only came to light after the USTA removed the bus. This creates new and unreasonable expectations for victims that will discourage them from coming forward in the future.”

Widmaier said Tuesday that a review of the USTA’s protective policies and procedures is underway. Two lawyers from a Washington-based firm have been hired to investigate how the USTA protects athletes from abuse and how it responds to reports of misconduct.