On a late November morning in 2021, students at Oxford High School in Michigan heard gunfire, and within seconds lives were altered forever. Bodies, bullets, and blood became grim fixtures in hallways that once echoed with footsteps and laughter. Four teenage girls and boys were killed and others wounded. Among those shot was Riley Franz, a 17-year-old senior, wounded in the neck, while her sister Bella, a 14-year-old ninth grader, was traumatized walking just feet away. In the months and years that followed, parents and families of the victims pursued civil lawsuits, claiming that the district, teachers, administrators, counselors and other school officials acted with reckless disregard and violated students’ rights. Leading many of these was attorney Geoffrey Fieger, who filed twin $100 million suits shortly after the tragedy.
This “Rowdy Oxford lawsuit” narrative has drawn attention across legal, educational, and policy circles. Professionals—whether in school administration, legal practice, or education policy—must understand its contours. In this article, I unpack the origin, claims, defenses, and lessons of the lawsuit, offering insight into how we might help districts and stakeholders avoid such legal and moral catastrophes going forward.
What Is the “Rowdy Oxford Lawsuit”? <a name=”what-is-rowdy-oxford-lawsuit”></a>
Origins — The Oxford High School Shooting, November 30, 2021
- On November 30, 2021, tragically, Ethan Crumbley, a 15-year-old sophomore, opened fire inside Oxford High School. As a consequence, four students — Tate Myre (16), Hana St. Juliana (14), Madisyn Baldwin (17), and Justin Shilling (17) — lost their lives; furthermore, seven others, including one teacher, sustained injuries.
- Authorities later charged Crumbley with murder, terrorism, and related crimes.
- His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were criminally charged with involuntary manslaughter for failing to secure the firearm and ignoring warning signs.
- In December 2023, the shooter was sentenced to life without parole, and in April 2024 his parents received 10–15 year sentences each.
The Lawsuits Filed — FaThis tragedy prompted multiple lawsuits across federal and state courts, seeking accountability beyond criminal convictions.milies, Victims, & $100 Million Claims
- On December 9, 2021, just 10 days after the rampage, Geoffrey Fieger filed a pair of $100 million lawsuits on behalf of Riley and Bella Franz, alleging school officials knew of threats and failed to act.
- These suits named the Oxford Community School District (OCSD), superintendent Timothy Throne, principal Steven Wolf, the counselor, and other staff members.
- The suits claimed that school officials ignored signs—drawings of guns, bullets, journal entries—and allowed the shooter to return to class after a meeting with counselors and administrators earlier that day.
- Later, teacher Molly Darnell, the only adult struck by gunfire, filed a separate suit, naming five former school officials and alleging the district “recklessly created or exacerbated the risk of mass shooting.”
- The suit alleges officials released the shooter from a safe zone with an unsearched backpack containing the gun, ignored warning signs, and failed to conduct threat assessments.
- Through these cases, plaintiffs seek compensation for physical and emotional injuries, wage loss, future earning capacity, scarring, and ongoing therapy costs.
Taken together, the “Rowdy Oxford lawsuit” label encompasses this network of civil litigation asserting systemic failures in school safety.
Legal Theories & Claims in the Lawsuits
Negligence, Gross Negligence & Reckless Disregard
Plaintiffs in these suits rely primarily on negligence-based theories, asserting that school employees:
- Had a duty to protect students and staff.
- Breached that duty by failing to act on red flags (drawings, journal entries, social media).
- That breach proximately caused injuries or death.
- The damages include emotional distress, wages lost, future impairment, etc.
Given the high stakes, many complaints allege gross negligence or recklessness—a more extreme departure from standard care, often intended to overcome immunity defenses.
For example, Darnell’s complaint says school officials “compounded the danger … by releasing him from a safe zone with an unsearched backpack that contained the deadly weapon” despite knowledge of homicidal or suicidal tendencies.
Governmental Immunity & the Hurdle for Plaintiffs
A central obstacle: governmental immunity limits liability for public school districts and their employees performing governmental functions, unless plaintiffs can show gross negligence or another recognized exception.
In Michigan, school districts claim that their actions in providing education and safety are “governmental functions”, insulating them from many claims.Courts have repeatedly dismissed suits against OCSD on immunity grounds. In March 2023, an Oakland County judge threw out all suits against the district, finding the shooter’s own actions were the “most immediate, efficient, and direct cause” of harm.
Causation, Proximate Cause & Foreseeability
Even after clearing immunity, plaintiffs must prove that officials’ conduct was:
- Foreseeable — that the school should have anticipated violence given warning signs.
- Causally connected — that their failure to act made the harm worse or enabled it.
Courts have been reluctant to impose liability in mass shootings on non-shooter actors, especially where the violent act is highly attenuated from prior omissions. In several rulings, judges determined that the shooter’s choice broke the chain of causation.
Key Litigation Developments & Legal Outcome
Early Dismissals, Appeals & Immunity Rulings
- In early proceedings, OCSD and named officials moved to dismiss on immunity and failure-to-state-a claim grounds.
- Plaintiffs appealed. In MarchRowdy Oxford Lawsuit: Accountability After Oxford High Shooting
- 2025, a 6th U.S. Circuit appeals panel held there was insufficient evidence that Hopkins (counselor) or Ejak (dean) acted to increase the immediate risk.
- On May 22, 2025, U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith dismissed the lawsuits with prejudice — refilement barred.
- Later, in May 2025, the Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear appeals from the families, letting lower-court rulings stand.
- The court’s decision effectively ends efforts to hold school staff civilly liable under the presented theories.
Teacher Suit: Molly Darnell’s Case
- Molly Darnell, injured in the shooting, became the first employee-plaintiff to sue in federal court.
- Her suit charges OCSD and five former school officials, including Hopkins, Ejak, former superintendents Tim Throne, Ken Weaver, and principal Steven Wolf.
- It argues school officials adhered to a policy requiring disciplinary issue before removing a student, which forced them to release the shooter back into the building.
- The complaint claims that prior to the attack, Wolf sent an email stating “there is absolutely no threat,” and speakers addressed the school population to reassure no danger existed, despite rumors and social media posts.
- Darnell’s suit remains pending; its outcome may differ, as employee claims sometimes avoid certain immunity defenses vulnerable in student-family suits.
Michigan Supreme Court Ends Further Appeals
With the Michigan Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the matter in May 2025, legal avenues against OCSD and school staff have narrowed sharply.
Plaintiff families expressed shock and grief. William “Buck” Myre, whose son Tate was killed, said: “I can’t believe … our government can just sweep it under the rug.”
Despite this setback, some litigation branches persist—such as a Court of Appeals decision in July 2025 allowing one Oxford parent to sue Michigan State Police in a wrongful-death suit.
Lessons for Professionals: Risk, Policy & Preventive Duty
This case holds critical lessons for professionals in education leadership, legal advising, psychology, and policy.
warning Signs, Assessments & Counselor Roles
- In hindsight, Crumbley’s drawings of guns and bullets and journal entries were glaring “warning signs.”
- Professionals today should ensure centralized reporting of concerning behaviors—rather than relying on distributed, informal hearsay.
- Counselors must not only listen but also document, assess risk, and escalate per defined protocols. A failure to search backpacks or lockers after red flags remains a central criticism in the suits.
Policy, Transparency & Litigation Risk
- School districts must adopt robust safety policies that balance discipline with flexibility to act when threats emerge.
- Transparency (in sharing threat policies, incident reports, and escalation paths) can deter litigation by showing good-faith adherence to standards.
- Legal counsel advising districts should simulate scenarios—seconds count in active-shooter events. The 90-minute window between initial warning and the attack has been scrutinized in investigations.
- The Parkland settlement precedent also looms: after the 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting, Broward County agreed to a $25 million settlement with several families.
Advocacy, Change4Oxford & Community Demands
- The local movement Change4Oxford has called for accountability, transparency, and reform in policy.
- For administrators and legal teams, engaging actively with community groups, advocacy organizations, and mental health experts can help rebuild trust and reduce adversarial litigation.
- Ongoing investigations (e.g. by Guidepost Solutions) and calls for independent review can signal institutional commitment to healing and safety improvements.
Conclusion:
The Rowdy Oxford lawsuit saga underscores the stark tension between the desire for accountability and the legal shields afforded to public school systems. While most suits dismissed or blocked governmental immunity, the underlying failures in threat identification, policy design, and culture remain deeply concerning. For professional audiences—school boards, legal counsel, mental health providers, and policy makers—the case is a clarion call to adopt proactive safety frameworks, rigorous training, responsive threat assessment protocols, transparency, and open dialogue with stakeholders. Even courts offered limited redress, the real victory lies preventing the next tragedy.
Are we prepared to reimagine school safety legal accountability future where such lawsuits may succeed—not because of emotion, but because systems finally closed the critical gaps?
