Bradley M. Cosgrove, partner at Clifford Law Offices, obtained a $50 million verdict on Monday, June 29, 2026, in Cook County Circuit Court in a case involving an eight-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted while a participant in the First Ascent Climbing & Fitness Camp, owned by the Chicago owners of the Peoria camp. After the initial $49 million in compensatory damages was announced in open court, the second phase of the trial began, and the unanimous jury said the defendant camp company acted willfully and wantonly. That led to the punitive stage of the trial, where the jury decided an additional $1 million in punitive damages would be awarded to the family.
CLIFFORD LAW OFFICES HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE AT 7 PM ON Monday, June 29, 2026, ON THIS RECORD AMOUNT. WATCH RECORDING HERE.
The seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated just over two hours before determining that the camp was negligent in its lack of supervision, protocols, and communication in handling youngsters in 2022 at its new summer camp that led to the rape of the child by another camper. After additional arguments from both sides, the jury deliberated about an hour on punitive damages
Cosgrove said Monday in his closing argument to a packed standing-room-only courtroom, “They let the kids do whatever they want. There was no order. No structure. No framework. That’s not enough to run a safe camp.”
Bradley M. Cosgrove, partner at Clifford Law Offices, speaking at the June 29 press conference.
Attorneys for the defendants placed the blame on the 13-year-old fellow camper who raped the eight-year-old boy in a bathroom, despite the evidence showing the boys were unsupervised for 50 minutes. Key evidence also included that those in charge of the camp registrations were made aware of the older boy’s need for constant supervision through his mother’s indicating her son’s issues on his registration form and in a subsequent conversation told the camp he should not be allowed in a bathroom alone. She later told the camp counselors in Peoria of a previous “incident” regarding her son, but that information was never followed up on or questioned by camp counselors in Peoria. A rape kit test was conducted on the minor at the time of the assault that tested positive.
The father of the eight year old sat through the entire trial with his hands to his face, holding back any expression of obvious anguish and devastation. He and the boy’s mother testified Friday through tears and deep emotion of the impact the event had on their young son and will continue to have for the rest of his life.
“The event that occurred here is life altering and childhood ending for the little boy,” Cosgrove said following the verdict. “The jury certainly sent a clear message to this camp and camps throughout the country that it is imperative to put in place proper procedures that must be followed when children are involved. These procedures must be communicated to staff and camp counselors who must have sufficient training, experience and awareness of each child’s needs in supervising youngsters who are in their care and who count on these adults to do what is needed to keep them safe.”
Brad Cosgrove and Charles R. Haskins, also a partner at the firm, filed the lawsuit against the Chicago-based camp on behalf of the parents of the child, a minor whose name is protected under court seal. Attorneys for the plaintiff argued negligent acts that were preventable by the camp, First Ascent, as well as by its supervisors, employees and camp counselors. The camp’s owners have main offices at 3516 N. Spaulding Ave., Chicago.
Attorneys for the young boy also argued willful and wanton conduct against the owners of Kids Climbing Camp, as it was called in Peoria, for the behavior that occurred on July 18, 2022, in its failure to train its employees regarding the proper supervision of children under the defendant’s care and custody at the day camp defendant owns in Peoria.
Cosgrove told the jury in his closing statement earlier in the day that despite the defendant’s employee having been told of a previous “incident” regarding the 13-year-old boy, nothing was done on the part of any camp employees to protect the eight-year-old boy from the older boy being allowed to go into a bathroom alone where the sexual assault occurred on the campgrounds.
In the punitive phase of the trial, Cosgrove spoke on the utter indifference and conscious disregard for the safety of the children in the camp’s care and custody. The jury found the camp owners acted willfully and wantonly, which led to a subsequent verdict on punitive damages of $1 million.
Hon. Eileen O’Connor of the Cook County Circuit Court Law Division presided over the two-week trial. The previous record against a summer camp was a $21.5 million verdict in Illinois for the death of a child in a drowning, according to the Cook County Jury Verdict Reporter.
Case No. 2024 L 7938, John Doe, a minor, v. First Ascent LLC d/b/a First Ascent Climbing & Fitness
For further information, contact Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell) or pammenaker@cliffordlaw.com.