The United States Tennis Association has been ordered to pay $9 million to Kylie McKenzie, a 25-year-old former tennis prodigy, for failing to protect her from sexual assault at the USTA's training facility in Florida.
A federal jury deliberated for less than three hours Monday before awarding McKenzie $3 million in compensatory damages and $6 million in punitive damages over USTA's efforts to keep McKenzie, who was 19-years-old at the time, from speaking out.
"I feel validated," McKenzie, who is currently working to revive her tennis career, told The Athletic on Monday. "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."
The USTA investigated McKenzie's claims in 2018 before suspending and then firing coach Anibal Aranda, who was 34-years-old at the time and denied touching the tennis player inappropriately. According to the lawsuit, the USTA failed to disclose Aranda had assaulted one of their employees several years earlier.
