Slip and Fall Accident Leads to Lawsuit Against the USTA
Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard was one of the main up and coming players on the WTA tour; however, her US Open took a turn back in 2015 when she suffered a serious slip and fall accident. She thought she was going to be fine; however, about six weeks later, she noticed that something was off. She was having trouble practicing and was not competing as she felt she should. She had to withdraw from singles, doubles, and mixed doubles tournaments. Following the conclusion of the US Open back in 2015, she ended up not being able to compete in another match for the rest of the season.
She decided to file a lawsuit against the USTA for the fall that took place at the US Open. She was subsequently diagnosed with a concussion, which is a type of traumatic brain injury. A traumatic brain injury is an injury that follows a blow to the head, causing the brain to change the manner in which it processes information. While a concussion is one of the most common types of traumatic brain injuries, other injuries include cerebral contusions, brain bleeds, and even skull fractures. According to The May Firm, “You can sustain serious injuries from these accidents, meaning you’ll need expensive medical treatment and miss days of work.” This is exactly what happened to Bouchard as she was forced to miss multiple tournaments, costing her a large amount of money.
The two sides were not able to reach an initial settlement. Therefore, the two sides went to trial. The first phase of the trial was the liability phase. This is where the two sides made arguments about why they either were or were not liable. The USTA was arguing that they were not liable for the injury because the conditions were not significantly out of the ordinary. Eugenie Bouchard made the argument that there was not enough lighting in the room which made it hard to see just how slick the floor was. The jury decided that Bouchard was 25 percent liable for the injury while the USTA was 75 percent liable. This means that any verdict the jury would have awarded in the case would be reduced by 25 percent.
Following the liability phase of the trial, Eugenie Bouchard met with her lawyer and the legal team. Eugenie Bouchard initially wanted to take the stand and tell the jury what had happened to her. After all, she was forced to withdraw from the US Open in 2015 following her third-round victory. This could have cost her a significant amount of money. Eventually, Bouchard’s lawyer convinced her to take the deal being offered by the USTA, bringing a conclusion to the case. This highlights how important it is for people to defend their rights following a slip and fall accident.
Author: Jacob Maslow
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