The family of an 8-year-old boy killed when a large oak tree branch fell at a Calabasas summer camp last year received $14.35 million from the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority as part of a $19.3 million settlement involving multiple claimants, Camp Wildcraft and Gomez Landscape & Tree Care, according to the family’s attorney and a settlement agreement.
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The settlement agreement shows MRCA’s insurers agreed to pay $16 million and the agency agreed to contribute an additional $300,000. Gomez Landscape & Tree Care’s insurers agreed to contribute $2 million, while Camp Wildcraft’s insurer agreed to contribute $1 million. Attorney Robert Glassman said Lamar McGlothurn’s family received $14.35 million from MRCA, while the allocation of the remaining settlement funds among the other claimants is confidential.
“This tragedy was entirely preventable,” Glassman said in a statement. “A young boy went to a camp in a public park and never came home. While the settlement terms remain confidential, the case underscores why accountability matters. When dangerous conditions exist on public property, families deserve answers, transparency, and action. We were honored to stand beside this family and fight for accountability, and we hope this case leads to safer parks and prevents another family from suffering the same unimaginable loss.”
McGlothurn was attending Camp Wildcraft at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas on July 9, 2025, when a large oak tree branch fell, killing him and injuring several others.
The settlement agreement states the settlement is a compromise of disputed claims and is not an admission of liability.
Records previously obtained by Southern California News Group showed employees with both MRCA and Gomez Landscape & Tree Care had documented concerns about the tree before the fatal collapse.
Among the records were text messages from a tree care employee warning of extensive decay in the trunk one day before the branch fell.
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“It is somewhat concerning seeing all the decay at the trunk,” the employee wrote on July 8. “It would be wise to thin the canopy and alleviate end weight at a minimum to mitigate the risk.”
Additional records showed that one week before the collapse, MRCA employees discussed another large branch that had broken from the same tree and noted additional pruning was needed. A 2018 arborist report also identified numerous trees throughout King Gillette Ranch with structural defects and recommended measures including significant pruning and, in some cases, restricting public access beneath hazardous trees.
The family alleged in a government claim and subsequent lawsuit that officials knew the tree posed a safety hazard before Lamar’s death but failed to adequately address it.
“We at the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) cannot fathom the immense loss and tremendous pain the family of Lamar McGlothurn has endured from Lamar’s tragic death,” the agency said in a statement. “We can only hope that this settlement will, in some small way, bring solace and comfort to the McGlothurn family in the days and years ahead.”
Shari Davis, co-owner of Camp Wildcraft, declined to comment. Gomez Landscape & Tree Care could not immediately be reached for comment.
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