Family of 8-year-old killed by falling tree branch at California camp wins $19 million settlement
TheGrio...
The wrongful death lawsuit alleged camp officials failed to address visible signs of decay before the branch fell, killing Lamar McGlothurn.
After nearly a year of litigation, the family of Lamar McGlothurn, the 8-year-old boy killed by a falling tree branch at a Calabasas summer camp has settled the case, securing more than $19 million in wrongful death damages, according to court documents reviewed by Rolling Out.
Lamar died on July 9, 2025, when a branch estimated at 25 to 30 feet long broke off an oak tree at King Gillette Ranch and fell on a group of children and staff gathered beneath it at the end of a camp day. Four others, including two children and two adults, were also injured. His parents had arrived to pick him up and were on the grounds when the branch came down.
According to Rolling Out, roughly $16 million of the settlement will come from insurers connected to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the public agency managing King Gillette Ranch, with an additional $3 million from insurers for Camp Wildcraft and a landscaping company contracted to maintain the property.
TheGrio previously covered the death of 9-year-old King Overton, who drowned on his first day at a Virginia swim camp in June 2026, raising parallel questions about negligence, supervision, and accountability at summer programs serving Black children.
The family’s lawsuit alleged the organizations responsible for King Gillette Ranch failed to properly monitor the oak tree’s condition despite visible signs of decay. The lawsuit also stated that another branch had fallen from the same tree days before the fatal incident, which attorneys argued should have triggered immediate closure of the area beneath it. Despite those warning signs, the area remained open to campers.
Robert Glassman, the family’s attorney, said families visiting public recreation sites deserve real accountability when dangerous conditions are allowed to persist.
The settlement is one of the largest wrongful death settlements involving a public recreation site in the Southern California region.