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The USTA (United States Tennis Association) has been ordered by a federal jury to pay $9 million in damages to 25-year-old Kylie McKenzie in the sexual abuse lawsuit she filed in 2022. McKenzie, hailing from Arizona, is a former Under-16 national champion and reached the quarterfinals of the 2015 US Open girls' singles event.
McKenzie accused Anibal Aranda, a coach hired by the USTA, a few years ago of touching her inappropriately, when she was a teenager. Although Aranda denied the accusation, he was fired by the USTA. The American sued the USTA, claiming that the organization should have protected her from the abuse in the first place.
After a week-long trial in Orlando at the start of the month, the jury decided in favor of awarding Kylie McKenzie $3 million for "compensatory damage." They followed it up with another phase of the verdict, where McKenzie was awarded an additional $6 million in "punitive damages," with the jury opining that there was a conscious disregard for the rights and safety of others by the USTA. This involved the USTA attempting to keep the case quiet before McKenzie could go to court.
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In a statement after the verdict, the 25-year-old sounded elated, saying that she feels "validated" by the decision. McKenzie hopes that her case could be an example for other girls to speak out if they experience a similar ordeal.
“I feel validated,” McKenzie said (as quoted by The Athletic). “It was very hard, but I feel now that it was all worth it. I hope I can be an example for other girls to speak out even when it’s hard.”
US Tennis Association looking to appeal court verdict despite jury deciding in favor of Kylie McKenzie
Meanhile, the USTA, despite being sympathetic to Kylie McKenzie, is set to appeal the court verdict.
In a statement, Chris Widmaier, a spokesman for the organization, argued that the USTA acted quickly by firing the coach once the incident came to light and that they were not aware of his behavior until McKenzie spoke up.
“The court ruled that the USTA was liable because one of its employees — a non-athlete — had an obligation to report her own experience with this coach to the USTA, an incident that was unknown until after the USTA removed the coach.
"This sets a new and unreasonable expectation for victims, one that will deter them from coming forward in the future,” he said (as quoted by The Athletic).
Kylie McKenzie is ranked No. 651 in the world and was last in action at the WTA50 Sao Paulo event in Brazil in March.
