Cook County Jury Awards $50 Million Against Climbing Gym Operator Over Abuse of Boy, 8, at Peoria Camp

A Cook County jury returned a $50 million verdict on June 29, 2026, against First Ascent Climbing and Fitness, the Chicago-based operator of a children's climbing camp in Peoria, Illinois. The award was $49 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages, after the jury found the company negligent and found that its conduct was willful and wanton. The family's son was 8 years old when he was abused at the camp.

The abuse happened on July 18, 2022. A 13-year-old camper took the younger boy into a bathroom, and the two were left alone for roughly 50 minutes. The boy's father and brother found them and stopped the assault. Police were called, and a rape kit confirmed the abuse. The older boy later pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the boy's parents. It argued that the camp had been told to watch the older camper around bathrooms and did nothing with that warning. According to trial testimony reported by Climbing magazine, the older boy's mother had made an unusual request about bathroom supervision, staff misread it, and no one asked her a follow-up question. Camp employees also knew of an earlier incident involving the same camper, yet nothing kept the two boys apart. The gym had no formal procedure for monitoring bathroom visits during camp, and children came and went without an adult checking on them.

The company's lawyers blamed the assault on the older boy alone, and a cofounder said the boy's family had not disclosed a history of prior sexual misconduct. Brad Cosgrove, a Clifford Law Offices partner who tried the case with partner Charles Haskins, told Climbing that the abuse caused a complete change in the boy's personality and severely disrupted his life. The compensatory award reflected the post-traumatic stress the boy has lived with since.

Judge Eileen O'Connor presided in the Law Division. The jury of twelve deliberated about two hours before returning the compensatory award, then about another hour on punitive damages, which rested on the willful and wanton finding and required more than ordinary carelessness. Reports described the total as the largest verdict of its kind in Illinois, more than doubling the previous record of $21.5 million against a camp in 2018.

After the verdict, First Ascent said it had introduced one-on-one escorts for children going to the bathroom at its camps. By late July 2026 its legal team and insurer were still deciding whether to appeal.