Much more to come on this abuse case as facts and documents become available. Based on public records, other documents and statements, CampAbuse believes that outrageous gross (willful and knowing) negligence and fraud caused Roxie Forbes to die. Click buttons below.
NOTE: Join others who are sharing information about what they know about the DiMassas and what might have led to Roxie’s death. CampAbuse can protect your identity or you can share such information publicly. Click here.
ROXIE MIRABELLE FORBES
December 4, 2012-June 28, 2019
Definition of kill: cause the death of a person, animal or other living thing — Oxford Dictionaries
Based on documents and statements, CampAbuse believes that Summerkids caused Roxie Forbes to die from a horrific drowning.
Roxie was six and a half years old when Summerkids and associates ended her life due to an abundance of willful and grossly negligent acts as stated in the official Complaint.
Summerkids refused to shut down for one minute after ending Roxie’s life.
Roxie had recently received special recognition for her achievements at her public school. She spoke Spanish. She marched for immigration rights. She personally donated her own toys and books to child victims of northern California fires. She proudly supported gun control to end school shootings (March for Our Lives). She loved visiting firefighters, riding horses, frolicking in the ocean, playing with robots and race cars, dancing, swinging and traveling.
Most of all, Roxie cared deeply about the well-being of other children. Her community cherished her for such tireless compassion and unyielding smiles.
ROXIE DIED FROM NEGLECT AND FRAUD
Though speculation abounds about how Roxie died, documents and testimony already evidence how she drowned to death in the shallow end of this small pool due to gross negligence, fraud and a host of other causes.
According to evidence, Summerkids and their American Red Cross representative fraudulently certified counselors as lifeguards. The American Red Cross already banned their own representative due to supporting evidence. They also revoked Summerkids’ ability to ever train counselors as ARC lifeguards and water safety instructors due to an abundance of evidence. Summerkids publicly published false/fraudulent statements on their very own website about employing certified ARC lifeguards and water safety instructors. And then Summerkids told parents a very different story than the one that is true, according to a battery of letters.
Summerkids and their attorney Margaret “Peggy” Holm assert that Roxie somehow drowned due to Roxie’s actions.
The DiMassa family owns Summerkids. They do not want parents to know how Roxie drowned. In fact, they have gone to great lengths to mislead people about how they have ended this 6-year-old girl’s life and how other children have been injured over the years.
The DiMassas and an American Red Cross representative apparently orchestrated a scheme to fraudulently certify counselors as lifeguards and water safety instructors in order to save money. It’s similar to how the DiMassa family only carries a $1 million insurance policy to cover as many as 900 children that attend their facility each summer. This is the real limited value they place on children’s heads, the opposite of what they have told parents and caregivers for decades.
The DiMassas also lied about medical supervision at their facility. A family member named Giancarlo DiMassa claimed to rearrange his schedule as an emergency medicine physician in order to supervise health efforts at the facility. This is a lie. According to documents and testimony, he was rarely at the facility and not present when the DiMassas and associates killed Roxie.
Much more to this deeply disturbing story will finally be exposed as more documents become publicly available.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Complaint
This document explains how Summerkids and others are complicit in killing Roxie Forbes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
With an ongoing lawsuit, certain documents cannot be made publicly available until entered into the court record. Many of these documents that prove the allegations made in the legal Complaint and on this site may likely become available as the matter unfolds. For now, this site will only include select documents. Once public, however, CampAbuse will add supporting documents to this and other pages where camps have disclosed documents.
It is important to note that, in her legal documents in this case and in the case brought against her by the California Attorney General for running an illegal child care operation, Cara DiMassa does not mention the joy of children or a passion for child care. She repeatedly discusses money and how regulation would impact her and the camp, not how she and her family are deeply passionate about legal, healthy and safe youth service. She repeatedlt says “fun” is her number one priority. Child safety is not “the” priority.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CampAbuse research shows that defense attorneys play pivotal roles in camp-related abuse cases and their future impact on the way the camp industry may or may not be held accountable for preventable harm. CampAbuse will explore other cases and the ways by which defense attorneys handle them. In this case, Margaret “Peggy” Holm is the defense attorney who represents Summerkids.
Holm has defended other recreational entities in abuse matters. All of these cases and others are publicly available.
Holm defended USA Gymnastics in a lawsuit in which USAG team physician Larry Nassar sexually assaulted, molested and raped hundreds of girls and women. A judge sentenced Nassar to 175 years in prison. Multiple documents proved how USAG covered up the abuse. This article further explains Holm’s role in that USAG case.
Holm defended USA Taekwondo in a case where coach Marc Gitelman sexually assaulted teen girls. The judge sentenced Gitelman to four years in prison and decided that USAT had a legal duty to guard against sex abuse.
Holm defended United States Youth Soccer Association in a case where the coach Emanuele Fabrizio repeatedly sexually abused a child. The judge sentenced Fabrizio to 15 years in prison and decided that USYSA was complicit.
Holm said in a newspaper interview, that a lawsuit against her client Summerkids was “unfortunate,” and she was “looking forward to a full airing of the facts.” Summerkids recently repeated this assertion in this national report from Inside Edition in which it asserted how it would vigorously defend “dedicated staff.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On one hand, CampAbuse agrees with Holm’s public statement. A full airing of the facts, and not withholding evidence or deflecting away from facts, is the proper way toward justice.
On the other hand, CampAbuse also disagrees with Holm’s public statement. A lawsuit is not “unfortunate.” When a child dies due to willful disregard, a lawsuit is necessary. Nothing is “unfortunate” when it comes to the wholly preventable death of a child.
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to the coroner’s publicly available report and conclusion, that Roxie died from drowning and nothing else?
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to publicly available police reports and EMT reports, counselors admitted to neglecting Roxie?
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to supporting documents and the publicly available Complaint, Summerkids owner-operators the DiMassa family and an American Red Cross representative fraudulently certified dozens—perhaps more than 100—counselors as lifeguards, including those at the pool when Roxie drowned?
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to supporting documents and the publicly available Complaint, the DiMassa family and the American Red Cross administered their fraudulent lifeguard training and certifications only days before camp commenced?
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to public documents and the publicly available Complaint, the fraudulent lifeguard and water safety instructor Hank Rainey was also Roxie’s buddy counselor in the pool when she drowned?
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to a public document, Rainey’s mother said he was the “victim” who was “unfortunately” there in the pool with “that girl?”
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to admissions and the publicly available Complaint, Rainey and the other counselors ignored the fact that they never received the training or any testing required to assume a lifesaving role?
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to public admissions and the publicly available Complaint, none of the fraudulently certified fake lifeguards at the small pool noticed Roxie had drowned until someone outside of the pool screamed?
Was it “unfortunate” that, only weeks after Summerkids and the American Red Cross ended Roxie’s life, they rushed another child to the hospital with a serious injury?
Was it “unfortunate” that Summerkids have rushed numerous other children to the hospital?
Was it “unfortunate” that a Summerkids junior counselor suffered a nearly life-threatening injury that involved a broken spine, broken pelvis and broken shoulder which required a year of rehabilitation?
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to supporting documents and the publicly available Complaint, Summerkids fraudulently certified counselors as American Red Cross Water Safety Instructors who were in charge of teaching 3-and-4-year-olds how to be water-safe, which made that instruction wholly illegitimate and gave children and parents a false sense of security?
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to supporting documents, the DiMassas, Summerkids and Trevor Boreham from Life Saving Certified apparently also fraudulently certified other counselors and staffers in CPR, First Aid and AED?
Was it “unfortunate” that Cara DiMassa apparently holed up in her office for upwards of 10 minutes or so while Roxie Forbes lay dead or dying on her pool deck?
Was it “unfortunate” that DiMassa apparently preferred to call her mother and father instead of calling Roxie’s parents or helping her fake lifeguards at the pool or answering police and EMT questions?
Was it “unfortunate” that DiMassa chose not to ride with Roxie to the hospital but showed up at the hospital with her mother and father soon after Roxie arrived? And was it “unfortunate” that DiMassa barged into the emergency room without permission?
Was it “unfortunate” that, according to supporting documents and the publicly available Complaint, Summerkids’ counselor training was only a few hours or so, despite operating a high-risk child care operation?
Was it “unfortunate” that owner-operator Cara DiMassa avidly promoted on her public website and to Roxie’s parents that her doctor-brother Giancarlo rearranges his schedule to be at camp as a medical supervisor when, in fact, he was rarely at camp and was thousands of miles away on vacation when Roxie drowned only 10 days into camp season?
Thousands of caregivers have trusted Summerkids to live up to their promises. Would these caregivers have left their children in a pool if they knew the pool was crowded, chaotic and supervised by fake lifeguards under the command of grossly negligent owner-operators?
According to an abundance of now publicly available evidence, that’s apparently what thousands of parents have done for years at Summerkids. The only difference is that parents didn’t yet know the part about a crowded, chaotic pool with fake, negligent lifeguards… not to mention, the incorrect occupancy sign which violated a county ordinance and state requirement… more publicly available information.
Ultimately, Cara DiMassa, “Cowboy Joe” DiMassa, “Mama Maria” DiMassa, Giancarlo DiMassa, Jaimi Harrison, Daniel “Hank” Rainey, Joseph Natalizio, Faith Porter, Natalie Del Castillo, Andrew Cervantes and Trevor Boreham are complicit in the death of 6-year-old Roxie, according to the detailed public Complaint and available evidence presented herein, let alone that which will eventually become public.
The American Red Cross also played a significant role, according to that same detailed Complaint, documents and the fact that they even banned their very own representative and banned Summerkids as a Licensed Training Provider, according to their own letter.
Perhaps even worse is the DiMassa family’s subsequent actions.
According to parents, the DiMassa family said that Roxie drowned due to a medical condition or disability. DiMassa attorney Margaret Holm made the same claim in her Motion to dismiss the lawsuit but did so without an ounce of proof.
According to all medical documents and experts to date, including the coroner, drowning was the cause of death, nothing more.
The DiMassa family, their former assistant director Jaimi Harrison and their fake lifeguards are correct. Roxie did die from a medical condition. That condition is known as full cardiac arrest and brain death due to a preventable drowning, according to a coroner.
Fluid replaced oxygen. Blood turned to acid. Tissue collapsed. Organs failed one by one. Vomitus ravaged airways. The heart stopped. And the brain imploded.
Nobody guarded her life. Everyone ignored her. And Roxie Forbes suffered a terrifying, brutal and wholly preventable death.
As difficult as this might be to believe or even read, documents, testimony and facts are plentiful... some are availed to prove that the DiMassas, their attorneys and others will not be able to evade the truth. Again, many documents cannot be availed due to an ongoing lawsuit. They do exist and, eventually, will be released.
The legal understanding for “malice” means conduct which is intended by a defendant to cause injury to the plaintiff or despicable conduct which is carried on by defendant with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others.
Executing a fraudulent lifeguard and water safety instructor certification scheme to apparently save a few thousand dollars is clearly malicious enough. But doing so in a manner that kills a child is not only malicious and oppressive but also potentially criminal. Owner-operators from other recreational child care facilities have gone to jail for less. Time will tell if the DiMassas, the American Red Cross representative or others will face such scrutiny.
Truth can indeed hurt, especially for those who have a considerable history with the DiMassa family and with Summerkids. The question is, what price are parents willing to pay for such an allegiance?
In fact, for years parents have paid thousands upon thousands of dollars without knowing the facts.
Doubts about these claims are to be expected. Children continue to be killed, injured or sexually abused at camps coast-to-coast. It is extremely challenging to fathom the disturbing circumstances of each case.
This is why CampAbuse will continue to provide information about this case, cases of the past and others to come.
Camp abuse is a major crisis in America. Truth matters, especially when the futures of our most vulnerable citizens are on the line.
OWNERS
Cara DiMassa was a Los Angeles Times reporter and editor, according to her bio. Reporters and editors are certainly aware of the importance of facts and truths. Cara’s father Cowboy Joe DiMassa was a former religious studies teacher at a city college and at one time had apparently considered the priesthood, according to a source who has done work for him. Joe’s wife Mama Maria DiMassa was also a teacher at the same city college. Their son Giancarlo DiMassa is an emergency room doctor who said he would rearrange his busy schedule to be at Summerkids as a medical supervisor. Apparently, he was rarely at the camp. Cara’s two young daughters attend the camp, one of whom is a counselor. Apparently, Cara and her parents left that daughter alone to handle phones and the office after Roxie drowned while only one other full-time staffer remained on the grounds. The daughter was roughly 15 at the time.
COUNSELORS
According to the DiMassa family, they host 900 children aged 3-15 each summer. Yet, Cara DiMassa, her former assistant director Jaimi Harrison and a groundskeeper were the only full time on-site staff. A couple dozen counselors primarily aged 15-21 managed the children. Harrison quit not long after Summerkids ended Roxie’s life. Her replacement had no camp or teaching experience. The counselors at the pool when Roxie drowned included… Hank Rainey seen in the lower right urinating on a Black-owned restaurant, (he posted the public photo on Instagram)… Faith Porter seen taking a bathroom selfie, apparently had an issue which may have considerably impacted her ability to care for children and who may not have even been at the pool… 28-year-old Joe Natalizio, a couch-surfing teacher in Mississippi seen top left giving the cunnilingus sign… and Natalie Del Castillo who believes she was a capable lifeguard despite her fraudulent certification. Former Summerkids counselors have disclosed a pattern of additional issues including alcohol use and abandoning children in order to hang out with their fellow counselors.
Fraudulent American Red Cross instructor-representative Andrew Cervantes
The American Red Cross played a major role in Roxie’s death.
Roxie’s parents, Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas, sent a demand letter and supporting documents to American Red Cross General Counsel in Washington, D.C. They demanded that the ARC ban their very own instructor-representative Andrew Cervantes. They also demanded that the ARC ban the DiMassa family from being an ARC Licensed Training Provider. They also demanded that the ARC ban all Summerkids counselors from further certification, because those counselors willingly accepted fake certifications without requisite training or any testing.
Within 14 days, the ARC permanently banned Cervantes, the ARC representative that Summerkids hired some time around 2011. The ARC said they banned the DiMassa family from training/certifying any personnel through its Licensed Training Provider status for which they paid the ARC. However, the ARC never proved they did band Summerkids. They also revoked all counselor certifications but refused to ban the complicit counselors for life.
After all, the ARC makes millions upon millions of dollars from recertifications.
That said, according to an abundance of evidence, admissions and the Complaint, the ARC’s colossal oversight failures apparently facilitated the DiMassa’s fraudulent certification scheme.
The ARC had documents in their possession which proved that Cervantes had not provided sufficient proof of training or testing. Cervantes’ publicly available certifications showed how he fraudulently certified himself and the ARC enabled him to do so without proper oversight measures or actions when he submitted his records.
The former Red Cross Director of Quality Assurance supported our assertions about the Red Cross willfully refusing to acknowledge a total lack of protections against certification fraud. Multiple aquatics professionals have since informed Roxie’s parents that the ARC acts like a sales treadmill, focused on racking up certifications but bereft of vital checks and balances.
This dangerous if not lethal lack of checks and balances must receive national attention to prevent more children from fatal or nonfatal drownings, especially because many camps have aquatics operations which utilize certified ARC lifeguards. The ARC refused to admit their complicity and refused to publicly work with Roxie’s parents in order to effectuate change through revised policies and public PSA campaigns.
The ARC is a congressionally chartered organization that receives protections under the law. When they get sued, they are allowed to remove the lawsuit to a federal court. They do so because a federal court jury must return a decision of 12-0 in order for a Plaintiff to be awarded damages, whereas a state court requires a 9-3 verdict.
Because the ARC refused to acknowledge their role in this preventable death or work with Roxie’s parents in a public effort to save children from the same outcome, Roxie’s parents named the ARC in the ongoing lawsuit to draw national attention to this shocking reality.