Macon tennis instructor sued by woman who claims he sexually abused her as teen

Editor’s note: The civil lawsuit against Carl Hodge was dismissed on April 4, 2019, according to court documents.

Carl Hodge, widely known as a coach and manager at Macon tennis centers, is on administrative leave in the wake of a sexual abuse lawsuit filed last week by a woman who contends that Hodge raped and molested her when he was her instructor.

The alleged abuse is said to have happened between 2009 and 2013, from the time the woman was 14 until she was about 18, when Hodge gave her tennis lessons, the lawsuit says.

Hodge denies the allegations.

The lawsuit was filed April 9, on or about the day the young woman turned 23, the cutoff age in Georgia for filing sexual abuse lawsuits for violations said to have happened during childhood.

The woman, named only as Jane Doe in the filing, is represented by Atlanta attorneys. One of those lawyers, Natalie S. Woodward, said Tuesday that her office had reached out to the district attorney’s office in Macon about a possible criminal investigation into the matter a few days before the civil lawsuit was filed.

According to the lawsuit, while Hodge — who is 60 and the tennis manager for the Macon-Bibb County Recreation Center — was an instructor for the young woman, he subjected her to “sexual acts, which constitute child sexual abuse … including, but not limited to child molestation and rape.”

The lawsuit adds that Hodge “made repeated threats to Plaintiff in order to keep her from disclosing the abuse,” but that eventually the young woman told her mother about the alleged abuse after it had stopped.

Also named as defendants are numerous Middle Georgia tennis associations and tennis centers, including the John Drew Smith Tennis Center and the Tattnall Square Tennis Center, which Hodge was affiliated with. The lawsuit contends that those associations and centers failed to provide adequate supervision and security.

Reached by phone on Tuesday, Hodge denied the allegations.

“Absolutely this is not true,” he said, noting that he has no idea who his accuser may be and that he has taught tennis to many children over the years without complaint.

“I can’t imagine who would do this,” Hodge said. “But unequivocally, this is nothing, this is zero. I’m almost at a point of wondering … is it real? … Is this something that’s fake. Is it a scam? … Nobody I can think of would have done something like this.”

He added: “Unfortunately, you guys want to write a story, and I’m gonna get blasted before we can even figure out who this is. It’s a Jane Doe.”

Hodge, who said he has been placed on administrative leave by the county, described himself as “a celebrated employee.”

“The city has done the right thing,” he said of his job status. “I’m just trying to figure out what is going on.”

Hodge said, “There is nothing I have done. There’s nothing that remotely gets to this.”

This story was originally published April 17, 2018 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Macon tennis instructor sued by woman who claims he sexually abused her as teen."