Family of boy who was brutally injured due to $20 bet suing teens involved for $6 million

The family of Kelsey Moore is suing the teenagers involved in the $20 bet that left him hospitalised with severe injuries.

Moore, who was 18 at the time, had just attended church in his home of Wayne County, Tennessee when he was attacked on Easter Sunday in 2022.

He had been planning to pitch at his baseball game the following Thursday, before attending prom the next day, but instead he had to be taken to hospital with a fractured vertebrae in his neck and severe facial fractures.

Police determined that someone had paid a teenager $20 (£16) to attack Moore, and an attorney for his family said his life will never be the same as a result.

Court records show that Brandison Dru Daniel, now 21, and Cameron Luke Makara, now 18, are facing felony aggravated assault charges for the attack.

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Moore's family is suing a total of 18 defendants who were present at the time of the attack for more than $6 million (£4.8m), Insider reports, with the lawsuit accusing the defendants of civil conspiracy, among other things.

The suit alleges Moore was punched in the face before being put on a truck bed and having photos taken.

Attorney Loren Klitsas told Insider Moore lost vision in one eye, lost hearing in one ear and had a broken neck as a result of the attack.

"It caused a lifetime of damage to this boy. And he's lost all chance to play college baseball," Klitsas said. "He has panic attacks when he sees cars or things that are strange to him, and he's just not the same."

Attorney Howard Kahn, who is also representing Moore's family, described the assault as 'hugely traumatic'.

"How much more do I need to say? His eye will never come back," Kahn told Insider. "And this is a young man, 18-years old. It's so horrific."

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Moore's parents are seeking an excess of $1 million (£810,000) in damages for mental anguish, medical expenses and lost wages, while Moore himself is seeking damages of more than $5 million (£4m).

In the days after the incident, Moore's mother Christi said Moore's date to the prom was going to take a picture of him to the event so he could be there in spirit.

Moore's classmate, Peyton Ward, told Fox17 the school had honoured Moore by making him Prom King in the wake of the attack.

“We know that’s special for him and it’s special for us too, you know, just knowing that he’s the honorary Prom King and prom because Kelsey loved prom, he loved being out there and being with all of his friends,” Ward said.