Oxford School Shooting Victims Just Announced a Big Change to Their Lawsuit

• Author: Mary Singleton
• Posted: 2024-08-19

The recent school shooting in Oxford, Michigan attracted national attention due to the shocking circumstances surrounding the shooting. Since school officials were aware the shooter posed a threat yet did nothing to protect the students, it is no surprise that lawsuits have already been filed. As more information comes out about the case, the lawsuit continues to expand. This week, there have been some more surprising changes to the lawsuit.

Students File a Lawsuit Claiming School Officials Failed to Protect Them

In the wake of the Oxford shooting, a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of survivors. Filed in December at the US District Court in Michigan, the lawsuit alleges that the shooting was entirely preventable. Alleged school shooter, Ethan Crumbley, had been displaying alarming behavior for weeks. He had posted threats against fellow students online and had "jokingly" texted friends that he was going to shoot up the school.

Furthermore, teachers in the class had seen signs of disturbing behavior. Crumbley was caught looking up ammo online and bringing bullets to school. On the day of the shooting, teachers called Crumbley's parents into school to discuss drawings he made in class. These included drawings of school shootings and notes stating, "The thoughts won't stop, help me." However, after Crumbley's parents declined to take him to counseling that day, the school let Crumbley return to class and failed to warn any students or their parents. A few hours later, he killed four students and wounded several more.

Lawsuit Seeks $100 Million in Damages

The lawsuit names the Oxford Community School District, the district superintendent, the Oxford High School's principal, the school's counselors, and several teachers as defendants. It alleges they failed to exercise reasonable caution and keep students safe. Therefore, the lawsuit is seeking $100 million in damages on behalf of their clients.

These damages include medical bills for a student shot in the neck and general damages for emotional trauma and pain and suffering. This particular lawsuit is just representing a couple of Oxford High School students. Depending on how it goes, it may potentially pave the way for other students seeking restitution from the school. This could mean the school district might end up paying millions of dollars in compensation.

Updated Lawsuit Claims That School's Actions Triggered the Shooting

This past week, the lawyers representing the students filed some amendments to their initial suit. They essentially wish to expand their lawsuit, including more people as defendants and adding more claims of damage to the suit. This change comes about after more concerning information was revealed.

The updated lawsuit shows that school officials discovered Crumbley allegedly tortured animals, brought severed animal body parts to school, and had texted his mother about ghosts and demons in the past. Two weeks before the shooting, school officials investigated claims that Crumbley brought animal heads to school and then sent out an email telling parents and students there was no credible threat to the school. They also warned parents and students to stop "spreading rumors" and discussing threatening social media posts.

The lawsuit claims that these actions directly contributed to Crumbley's decision to shoot classmates. During the investigations, Crumbley was warned that the school officials were considering calling Child Protective Services to investigate his mental health and his parents' lack of care. According to the lawyers, this made Crumbley decide to move up the timetable for his terrorist attack because he was concerned about being discovered.

Lawsuit May Settle Question Over Whether Shooting Victims Can Sue School

This lawsuit is more than a legal footnote to a devastating tragedy. It is also a groundbreaking lawsuit that has the potential to set some major legal precedents. Typically, school districts are protected from being sued after a shooting. Under a doctrine called qualified immunity, government officials are protected from civil lawsuits related to their job performance.

The Oxford school district officials have already brought this up and state that they plan on using qualified immunity as their legal defense. However, qualified immunity can be overturned if the lawyers can show that the school officers violated clearly established personal rights. If the survivors' lawsuits prove that officers failed to practice any reasonable caution or take common-sense measures to fulfill students' rights to safety, they can continue with their lawsuit. This may potentially make it easier for victims to seek compensation in the future.