Ex-tennis prodigy awarded $9MILLION in damages after suing the US Tennis Association over alleged sexual abuse by coach when she was a teenager

A former tennis prodigy was awarded $9 million in damages by a Florida federal court jury after she accused the US Tennis Association of failing to protect her from a coach she said sexually abused her at one of its training centers when she was still a teenager.

The lawsuit, filed by Kylie McKenzie in March 2022, says Anibal Aranda, who was employed by the sport’s national governing body for about seven years and was later fired, used his position as USTA coach to gain access to vulnerable female athletes and commit sexual assaults. against them.

‘I couldn’t be happier with the result. I feel validated,” McKenzie, once a promising tennis player, said in a statement emailed Tuesday by one of her attorneys, Amy Judkins. ‘It was very tough, but I now feel like it was all worth it. I hope I can be an example for other girls to speak out, even when it is difficult.’

Victims of sexual assault are not typically named in the publication, but McKenzie agreed to have her identity used in reporting on her lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, Anibal Aranda (pictured) used his position as USTA coach to gain access to vulnerable female athletes and commit sexual assaults against them

Her lawsuit alleges the USTA negligently failed to protect her from sexual assault and was negligent in retaining Aranda as a coach after he sexually assaulted a USTA employee.

As a junior player, McKenzie – who is now 25 – reached a career-high ranking of No. 33 in 2016. The year before, she compiled a 20-6 record in junior competition, including victories over Sofia Kenin, who would go on to win the championship win at the 2020 Australian Open, and Tamara Zidansek, later a semi-finalist at the 2021 French Open.

The U.S. District Court jury on Monday awarded McKenzie $3 million in damages and added another $6 million in punitive damages.

‘We are very pleased with the jury’s decision to award Ms McKenzie for her pain and suffering, but more importantly, we believe the jury’s decision to award damages sends the right message to all sporting organizations that they must take the necessary must take steps to protect the athletes. their banner,” Judkins wrote.

Spokesman Chris Widmaier said the USTA would appeal.

“We sympathize with the accuser and what she has endured. We do not and never have disputed her allegations against a coach,” Widmaier said.

The US District Court jury awarded McKenzie, once a promising tennis player, $3 million in damages and added $6 million in punitive damages

He said the USTA was “deeply troubled” by the decision, including 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 was unknown until the USTA removed the coach. This creates a new and unreasonable expectation for victims, one that will deter them from coming forward in the future.”

Widmaier said Tuesday that a review of the USTA’s conservation policies and procedures is underway.

Two lawyers from a Washington-based firm were retained to investigate how the USTA protects athletes from abuse and how it responds to reports of misconduct.