“The court erred when it removed from the jury the question [of] whether the USTA breached a duty to plaintiff and disregarded evidence to grant judgment as a matter of law on breach,” USTA wrote. They believe the jury would have concluded that USTA took reasonable steps to protect McKenzie and did not breach its duty.
US Tennis Retrial Request : Request for a New Trial
In light of these alleged shortcomings, USTA has requested the court either rule in its favor or order a new trial with clearer guidelines. Attorneys for McKenzie and representatives of USTA have not commented on the motion.
McKenzie sued USTA for negligence, citing a 2014 incident between Aranda and the organization’s senior manager of player development, Jessica Battaglia, as a warning sign of Aranda’s propensity for sexual violence. USTA, however, argued that the incident was not relevant to the case as Battaglia was Aranda’s co-worker, not a subordinate.
Previous Ruling and Damages
Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Paul Byron ruled that sports governing bodies have a duty to protect young players and found that USTA breached this duty in McKenzie’s case. This ruling led to a damages trial where a Florida federal jury awarded McKenzie $6 million in punitive damages and $3 million in compensatory damages, which USTA described as “grossly excessive.”
