Tennis Pro Eugenie Bouchard Settles A Slip-And-Fall Lawsuit

The once highly ranked Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard settled an injury lawsuit with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) on Friday, Feb. 23.

She had filed a lawsuit against the USTA in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, following a 2015 incident at the U.S. Open. She apparently slipped and fell backwards on some tiles that had not been thoroughly cleaned at their sports complex. She reportedly suffered a concussion as a result of her fall.

In the opening statements in the case, the tennis player’s attorney had highlighted how the concussion kept the one-time top 5 player from playing the tournament that year. That, in turn, caused her to not make significant money she would have otherwise intended to make. He noted that, once she did return to the game, she did so not playing as well as she once had.

For their part, an attorney representing the USTA said that the tennis player was already declining in rank long before her injury occurred. She currently ranks 116th in the world.

He also argued that with 1.6 million social media followers and endorsement deals she has as a fitness model, she appears to be doing okay financially. He said that, since then, she’s landed deals with Rolex, Nike and Coke. Her popularity online has soared greatly as she’s produced fitness videos online and posed for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

Ultimately, the jury in the case decided that USTA should be held at least 75 percent liable for the injuries the tennis player suffered. It’s unclear what amount they ultimately awarded, but prior to Friday’s settlement, Bouchard’s attorney had said that he estimated it would be millions of dollars.

If you’ve suffered a slip-and-fall or some other type of injury on another’s property, a Rockville Centre premises liability attorney can advise you of your right to file an injury lawsuit in your own case.

Source: New York Post, “Eugenie Bouchard reaches undisclosed settlement with USTA,” Georgett Roberts and Laura Italiano, Feb. 23, 2018