A jury awards $9 million to a player who sued the U.S. Tennis Association alleging sexual abuse by a coach

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A tennis player was awarded $9 million in damages by a Florida federal court jury after she accused the U.S. Tennis Association of failing to protect her from a coach who she said had her in sexually abused at one of his training centers when she was a teenager.

The lawsuit, filed by Kylie McKenzie 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 vulnerable female athletes and sexually to commit attacks against them.

“I couldn’t be happier with the result. I feel vindicated,” McKenzie said in a statement emailed Tuesday by Amy Judkins, one of her attorneys. “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 would go on to win the championship at the 2020 Australian Open, and Tamara Zidansek, an eventual semifinalist at the 2021 French Open.

The U.S. District Court jury on Monday awarded McKenzie $3 million in compensatory damages and added $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 “They must take the necessary steps to protect the athletes they are exposed to.” their banner,” Judkins wrote.

Spokesman Chris Widmaier said the USTA would appeal.

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

He said the USTA was “deeply disturbed” by the decision, adding that “the court found that the USTA was liable because one of its employees – a non-athlete – was required to report her own experiences with this coach to 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.

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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis