Kylie McKenzie, a 25-year-old former tennis prodigy, has ordered the United States Tennis Association to pay her $9 million because the organization neglected to protect her from sexual abuse at its training center in Florida.
After less than three hours of deliberation on Monday, a federal jury found in favor of McKenzie, awarding him $3 million in compensatory damages and $6 million in punitive damages for USTA’s attempts to silence the 19-year-old McKenzie.
“I feel validated,” McKenzie told The Athletic on Monday while attempting to resurrect her tennis career.. “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.”
Before suspending and eventually terminating coach Anibal Aranda, who was 34 years old at the time and denied sexually touching the tennis player, the USTA looked into McKenzie’s claims in 2018. The lawsuit claims that the USTA concealed the fact that Aranda had abused one of their staff members years prior.
The USTA declared it would file an appeal in reaction to Monday’s decision, claiming the organization fired the coach promptly and showed compassion for McKenzie’s anguish.
“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,” USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier stated.
Even though McKenzie informed the police and USTA that Aranda had made physical contact in 2018, she chose not to press charges.
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According to The New York Times, after conducting an investigation, the U.S. Center for SafeSport concluded that there was “more likely than not” that Aranda touched McKenzie when she was being shown a serving method at the USTA training facility.
After a USTA coach attempted to quiet McKenzie’s account and advised her to inform others that she had been ill, McKenzie filed the complaint. She claimed that as a result of the experience, she had sadness, panic attacks, and anxiety.
“They don’t put athletes first,” stated Robert Allard, a McKenzie lawyer and supporter of athletes who have experienced sexual abuse.
“There needs to be a complete change in the organization so victims are not silenced but encouraged to come forward.”
