Korey Burke is a star tennis player who was assaulted to try and stop her career, an assault she’s later revealed to have facilitated.
History[]
Korey’s father Mitch was her agent and primary protector, and her mother died from breast cancer four years prior. Korey was an exceptional tennis player who trained so rigorously and was so talented, she once performed on the court with a sprained ankle. Her father kept her on a tight leash, restricting her from a social life while making her invest her energy into her career. She was also the focus of multiple stalkers, including Alan Lovitz, who tried to break into the locker room to see her.
Korey became depressed from the stress of her career and publicity, as well as having no room to enjoy herself with the people she loved and being seen by Mitch as a star more than a daughter. To this end, she conspired with her friend and professional competitor, Allison Hall, to get herself out of the game by ensuring she could never play again. Korey had originally cut her finger on a pea can, bruised her shoulder falling down stairs, and sprained her knee in a fender bender over a total of three years, but that didn’t slow expectations of her down. To that end, Allison’s boyfriend, bouncer Marc Kenner, jumped Korey in the locker room and broke her wrist badly enough that her career in tennis was effectively over.
After Lovitz was ruled out, detectives looked into Korey’s private life for suspects. Allison was put at the top of the list, as she was to play Korey and wanted to beat her for the street cred, in spite of idolizing Korey and having played with her since they both started out. When Kenner was identified, he was questioned and rolled on Allison, who was later arrested and tried alongside him. Her attorney accepts no deals, and Kenner’s attorney gets his confession excluded. The D.A.’s office asks about Korey’s and Allison’s shared history, and along with Korey once beating Allison early on in competition, they find out Korey had multiple “accidents”.
After ruling out Mitch, as he’d never throw his daughter's career out, the legal team became suspicious of Korey when she wanted the charges dropped and to put the attack behind her. Korey's psychiatrist reveals he gave her a journal, which the prosecution ordered to be turned over as evidence. It confirms she planned the attack with Allison, so assuming Kenner is gullible to believe Korey just didn’t want to lose her sponsorship endorsement, they insist he testify for a deal. Kenner doesn’t buy it, but he still gives Korey and Allison up by admitting the truth. Korey is brought into the office to be questioned in front of Mitch. She tries to have Allison not take the fall, then turns to Mitch and says she didn’t want to hurt him with how much he loved her success, but she wanted out of tennis and to live her own life.
After Kenner pled guilty to assault two, Korey and Allison are pled out to probation and community service. The prosecution remarks she achieved her stardom and still has a chance at the rest of her life. (L&O: “Doubles”)