A toddler suffered horrific injuries, including to his brain and hearing loss, after he was tossed up into the air and dropped on the ground by a daycare worker, according to a new lawsuit.
The horrifying scene played out in documents, obtained by The California Post, showing stills of 23-month-old “C.K.” getting playfully swung by his arms into the air by an employee of The Bay Club Clubhouse in El Segundo, CA in March 2025.
The images in the documents show the toddler well above the alleged employee’s head before she’s unable to catch him and the two crash to the ground.
C.K. allegedly hit his head during the fall, and began hysterically crying as other adults in the room looked on in shock, according to the lawsuit.
The fall resulted in a traumatic brain injury and hearing loss for the young boy, the papers filed by C.K’s parents, Matt and Elena Kittle, said.
Matt dropped C.K off at 8:35 a.m. the day of the incident and then went to the Manhattan Country Club where initiation fees start at $25,000, and dues are $1000 a month.
The Manhattan Country Club membership allows for children to be watched at the nearby Bay Club Clubhouse without any additional fees according to the Bay Club website.
Mr. Kittle “received a call from the Bay Club stating that C.K had fallen and had since calmed down. The staff member said she did not think they needed to pick up C.K., but wanted them to know the incident took place,” the lawsuit said.
Fifteen minutes later the daycare center called back and said, “C.K. needed to be picked up and stated that they had not been able to settle C.K down. The Bay Club gave Mr. Kittle the impression that C.K had only sustained a minor injury,” according to the lawsuit.
“The right side of C.K.’s face was badly bruised. His right eye was swollen shut and his mouth was swollen. Upon arriving home C.K was extremely drowsy, lethargic, and irritable,” the lawsuit said.
An employee allegedly told Mr. Kittle over the phone that C.K had only fallen one and a half feet.
However, by 11:30 a.m., CK was checked into the ER at Torrance Hospital for evaluation of blunt head trauma. He was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, according to the lawsuit.
The couple, disputing the toddler had only one and a half feet, requested video of the incident and saw that their boy was at least 6 feet in the air when he fell, the documents said.
“C.K. is still experiencing symptoms from the traumatic brain injury including loss of hearing,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges the El Segundo Bay Club is not licensed by the California Department of Social Services and improperly claims it is exempt because parents remain on the premises while their children are supervised.
“When the child of a member of the Manhattan Country Club is being cared for at the Clubhouse, the member is not required to stay on the premises,” the papers said.
The Kittles are asking for an amount to be determined by a jury, and accuse the Bay Club of negligence, battery, fraud, and emotional distress.
The Bay Club was contacted by The California Post, but did not immediately respond for comment.