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Tennis Pro Eugenie Bouchard Files Suit as a Result of Unsafe Work Environment


Note:  A loyal reader of this blog pointed this issue out to me previously and thought it would make for a good post.  Having reviewed the issue myself, I certainly agree and think this is one that readers would enjoy!


Late last year, tennis pro Eugenie Bouchard filed a lawsuit against the United States Tennis Association after she slipped and fell in a locker room during the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York.  According to her complaint, Bouchard claims her fall was caused by a "slippery, foreign and dangerous substance" on the floor in the women's locker room that was negligently allowed to exist, in spite of the danger the substance posed.  As a result of her fall, Bouchard said she hit her head and suffered a concussion which forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Open and a few other tournaments.

I highlight this case so employers can take note that in the workplace, steps should be taken to ensure a safe work environment.  In this instance, if the United States Tennis Association allegedly allowed a dangerous work condition to exist and failed to take steps to protect those who came in contact with the area, potential liability exists.  If true, that spells big trouble.  Bouchard claimed that as a result of her fall, her world tennis ranking has dropped 13 points and is likely to continue to drop.  To make matters potentially worse for the United States Tennis Association, Bouchard had been named the world's most marketable athlete in 2015; a standing that could be in jeopardy if she is unable to compete at the level needed to maintain a "marketable athlete status".

If an employee is injured at work and can start to show not only a loss of income, but a potential windfall that they expected to make had they been able to perform their job, that puts an employer in a difficult position.  Any good plaintiff's attorney would point a jury to the fact that as a result of the employer's negligence, wanton and willful disregard for a dangerous situation, etc, etc, the employee has been irreparably harmed not only physically, but also economically.  That translates into a potentially enormous judgment against a negligent employer.  One thing this case goes to show you, even in a "high stakes" situation with multi million dollar pro athletes, an unsafe workplace can prove to be trouble for an employer.
 

Special thanks to Pro Tennis Law for a copy of the complaint:
https://protennislaw.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/bouchard-eugenie-complaint.pdf

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