A toddler suffered sickening abuse, including having his eyes sprayed with bleach, by staff at his Manhattan daycare — and is now set to pocket a more than $300,000 settlement when he turns 18, new court papers reveal.
Parents Myriam Coulibaly and Christopher Luboja agreed to settle their potential lawsuit against the major daycare operator Bright Horizons — which counts more than two dozen locations across New York City, according to the filing in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The now-3-year-old boy, identified by the initials “T.L.” in court docs, was allegedly physically abused by workers at Bright Horizon’s Columbus Circle location for several months, beginning in late 2024 to early last year, the filing states.
The parents recounted their nightmare experience, describing their struggle to understand what was happening to their young son, who lacked the words to describe his mistreatment.
“T.L. was not yet of the age where he could speak to orate what happened to him,” but “there were signs, including his eyes being irritated after coming home from the daycare and bleach-like stains appearing on his clothing,” the papers filed Friday state.
Still, it wasn’t until a criminal probe into abuse at the now-shuttered Bright Horizons location that the tortured tot’s plight came to light, according to the court docs.
Several employees were arrested and charged last year — finally allowing T.L.’s parents “to understand and piece together what had happened to their son at the hands of BH while he was enrolled in BH’s daycare program,” the filing states.
Luckily for the boy, the eye irritation subsided after his parents removed him from Bright Horizons, with doctors agreeing that his vision was not permanently damaged, according to the documents.
The family agreed to a $142,000 payout. But because of T.L.’s age the money will be held in a fund until he turns 18, growing to at least $332,000, court records state — or roughly $83,000 annually for four years.
Five workers at Bright Horizons’ Columbus Circle location were indicted in July 2025 for allegedly abusing multiple toddlers, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
Dozens of children suffered abuse including daycare staffers covering their mouths with packing tape, dragging them by their limbs, hitting their heads with metal bottles and spraying at least two tykes with cleaning supplies — including a bleach substance, prosecutors said.
The clever parents tracked down attorney Daniel J. McCarey, who formerly repped Bright Horizons, and helped secure the settlement, which was agreed to in lieu of filing a full lawsuit.
Neither McCarey nor Bright Horizons representatives responded to requests for comment Wednesday.
