Matthew and Elena Kittle have initiated a legal case against a health club in California, claiming that a childcare worker threw their 23-month-old son, identified as CK, six feet into the air and, crucially, didn’t catch him. This incident occurred at the Bay Club’s El Segundo location on March 17, 2025, leading to CK suffering a traumatic brain injury, according to their lawsuit.
Details from the complaint, which was acquired by the Daily Caller, indicate that the childcare worker’s actions resulted in CK hitting his head on the hard floor after falling. Matthew reportedly dropped CK off at around 8:35 a.m. and mentioned he would be at the Bay Club Manhattan Country Club for about three hours. The lawsuit is directed at The Bay Clubs Co. LLC and Bay Club South Bay LLC, the latter managing both the El Segundo clubhouse and the Manhattan Country Club.
Security footage, as indicated in the lawsuit, captures the worker picking up CK and tossing him into the air. The footage reportedly shows her swinging him around before he falls, impacting her head and then hitting the ground. Following the incident around 9:20 a.m., CK was seen crying intensely.
After the fall, the Bay Club reached out to Matthew at 9:30 a.m., stating CK had “fell down” but was “calming down.” The employee asked if the Kittles wanted to pick him up, but they thought it wasn’t necessary at that moment. The Kittles claim the severity of the situation was downplayed by the staff.
Matthew indicated he needed to discuss things with his wife first before calling back at 9:34 a.m., only to find that he couldn’t communicate directly with the El Segundo team. At 9:45 a.m., he received another call, urging him to pick up CK due to a lack of staff capability to manage the situation. He arrived to find CK with noticeable bruising and swelling on his face, particularly around his right eye.
Once home, CK’s parents noticed he seemed strangely drowsy and irritable. At 10:44 a.m., Elena spoke with a swimming director at the Bay Club, who claimed CK had fallen from about 1.5 feet in height, underestimating the fall’s severity and the childcare worker’s hold on him at the time.
The Kittles took their son to the emergency room in Torrance, California, where doctors assessed that his injuries were not consistent with a fall from just 1.5 feet, instead diagnosing him with a concussion, blunt head trauma, and facial abrasions.
Later in the afternoon, around 2:22 p.m., Elena spoke with the club’s general manager, Ann Glaser, who also maintained that the fall was from a minor height. The Kittles later requested the video of the incident and were taken aback by what they saw; the footage indicated CK had indeed been thrown and sustained a serious fall, hitting his head on the wooden floor.
Now, CK is reportedly experiencing hearing loss and other ongoing issues due to the incident. Ryan Saba, the Kittles’ attorney, expressed that parents expect proper care when leaving their children at daycare facilities. He emphasized that the Bay Club fell short in both training and accountability.
Additionally, the Kittles’ attorneys claim that the Bay Club is operating without a required daycare license. Although daycare centers can function without a license if parents are present, the lawsuit asserts that the clubhouse allowed parents to leave the premises for the Manhattan Country Club, a mile away.
The legal claims include negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and assault, among others. Responding to the situation, the Bay Club’s media office has stated they cannot comment on ongoing litigation, but emphasized that the safety of their members and families is their utmost priority.
