USTA ordered to pay former top junior tennis player $9m in sexual abuse case
A tennis player has been awarded $9 million in damages 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.
The lawsuit, filed by Kylie McKenzie in March 2022 in Florida, 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 get involved. sexual battery against them. McKenzie was 19 and Aranda 34 when she alleged he abused her.
“I couldn’t be happier with the result. I feel validated,” McKenzie said in a statement on Tuesday. “It was very difficult, 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.”
The AP generally does not name people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but McKenzie agreed to have her identity used in reporting on her lawsuit.
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 later win the championship at the 2020 Australian Open, and Tamara Zidansek, later a semi-finalist at the 2021 French Open. In 2022, McKenzie said the alleged sexual abuse had negatively affected her self-confidence and self-esteem and that the anxiety she felt from the abuse left her at the 2019 and 2020 tennis court consumed. as a player,” McKenzie said.
The Florida jury awarded McKenzie $3 million in damages and added $6 million in punitive damages on Monday.
“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 steps to protect the athletes under their jurisdiction. banner,” her attorney, Amy Judkins, wrote.
USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said the organization 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.
But Widmaier said the USTA was “deeply troubled” by the decision, including the fact 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.