Plaintiff Kylie McKenzie filed a Complaint against the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and USTA Player Development. USTA, as the National Governing Body (NGB) for tennis, promoted the sport in the U.S., managed over 700,000 members, and collected membership dues. USTA selected players and coaches for Team USA and controlled USTA Player Development, which focused on training young tennis players.

Duty of Care and Initial Response

In 2010, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) recommended improved child protection measures, including a ban on romantic relationships between coaches and athletes. USTA resisted these recommendations and, by 2013, implemented the "Safe Play" program. This program required background checks but did not address the issue of romantic relationships.

Plaintiff’s Experience

Plaintiff Kylie, born March 21, 1999, joined USTA at age 12 and trained at its centers in Carson, CA, and Boca Raton, FL. During her training, Kylie experienced troubling behavior from her coaches.

Training and Misconduct

The USTA national coach who recruited Plaintiff took on the role of her full-time coach. He assured her that she could become a tennis star but emphasized that she needed to make significant sacrifices, including spending less time with her family. The coach aimed to control her daily routine and often kept her alone after practice for lengthy personal conversations. He discouraged her from playing college tennis and completing her schoolwork. He instructed her to delete the boys' phone numbers and told the boys not to speak with her. When Plaintiff first kissed a boy at age 15, he reprimanded her. Other USTA players commented