Newsome Melton Secures $9 Million Jury Verdict in Tennis Pro Kylie McKenzie’s Case Against USTA
May 06 2024 - 9:42PM
Business Wire
The law firm of Newsome Melton announced today that a jury in
Orlando federal court awarded tennis pro Kylie McKenzie $9 million
in damages, acknowledging the harm caused by the negligence of the
United States Tennis Association (USTA), in failing to protect
McKenzie from sexual assault by her former coach, Anibal
Aranda.
The week-long trial before the Honorable Paul G. Byron, U.S.
District Court of the Middle District of Florida, concluded today
with the jury unanimously finding that the behavior of the USTA not
only warranted compensatory damages, but also punitive damages. The
jury’s finding of $6 million in punitive damages is meant to punish
the USTA and to deter the USTA and other national governing bodies
from failing to protect athletes from sexual misconduct by coaches.
The jury compensated McKenzie not only $3 million as compensation
for her past and future damages as a result of the sexual assaults
but also $6 million in punitive damages, bringing the total verdict
to $9 million.
McKenzie’s legal team was led by Newsome Melton attorneys Amy
Judkins and Maegen Peek Luka along with attorney Robert Allard from
the law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard.
The lawsuit against the USTA alleged that the USTA negligently
failed to protect McKenzie from sexual assaults and was also
negligent in supervising and retaining Aranda after he sexually
assaulted a USTA employee.
Prior to the trial, Judge Byron ruled that the USTA had a duty
of care to protect athletes in its Player Development program from
sexual misconduct by coaches. The ruling underscored the USTA’s
role as the national governing body of tennis, entrusted with the
protection of individuals within its programs. Additionally, the
order highlighted findings from an investigation by the United
States Center for SafeSport, a federal agency tasked with
addressing sports-related sexual misconduct, which confirmed
Aranda’s misconduct toward McKenzie.
Throughout the trial, the jury was presented with evidence
indicating that teenaged McKenzie was left unsupervised, contrary
to the USTA’s policies mandating supervision during practices. The
jury was also presented with evidence indicating that a USTA
manager who was a mandatory reporter of sexual misconduct failed to
report her own sexual assault by Aranda four years earlier and
chose to take no action short of reporting in order to safeguard
McKenzie.
Finally, tennis legend Pam Shriver provided testimony in the
case. Shriver’s testimony, in addition to facts such as McKenzie’s
testimony about being instructed to inform anyone inquiring about
her absence from practice that she was unwell, as opposed to
disclosing her status as a victim, led the jury to determine that
punitive damages were warranted to ensure that the USTA would
supervise coaches with vigilance in the future.
This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some
jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240506217919/en/
Contact: Attorney Amy Judkins at 407-607-5760 or by email:
ajudkins@newsomelaw.com