Michigan Supreme Court declines to hear Oxford High School shooting civil cases
Civil litigation by families of the victims of the Oxford High School shooting has ended, per order of the Michigan Supreme Court, with Michigan's government immunity law appearing to be the sticking point on whether the case was viable.
Attorneys Ven Johnson and Chris Desmond, who have been working on behalf of the Oxford families, spoke to the news media Wednesday afternoon on the case that was pending against the school district. The others on the Zoom call were family members, Meghan Gregory, the mother of Keegan Gregory, who survived the shooting, and Buck Myre, the father of Tate Myre, who was one of the fatality victims.
All four of them expressed their frustration and disappointment after the Michigan Supreme Court issued its order Wednesday.
The justices had said in a brief statement that "we are not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this court."
"This case should have been allowed to proceed to trial," Johnson said.
The attorneys explained that taking a case to the Michigan Supreme Court is much more difficult than taking a case to the appeals level. The Supreme Court does not have to hear a case, nor do the justices need to explain why or why not.
"This is an incredibly sad day in the life of this case," Desmond said. "The Michigan Supreme Court doesn't necessarily have to tell you what they think."
The Oxford High School shooting in November 2021 resulted in the deaths of four students and injuries to seven others. The shooter, Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 years old at the time, was charged as an adult in Oakland County and is currently serving his criminal sentence.
The case earned national attention as it was one of the first school shooting cases in which authorities sought charges against both the shooter, who was a student at the time, and his parents.
The Michigan Supreme Court decision is the response to a Michigan appeals court ruling issued in September. The original lawsuit was filed in an attempt to hold school employees accountable, the families would have needed to provide evidence that the school district was primarily responsible for the deaths and injuries that day.
But the appeals court agreed with a lower court's ruling that the circumstances did not overcome the existing threshold for governmental immunity.
That was the topic that the lawyers and family members focused on during their remarks on Wednesday. Michigan's government immunity law dates back to the 1980s. Given the political realities of asking the Michigan legislature to rewrite the law, those speaking at the press conference think their options for what happens next are limited.
One idea under discussion is a rally in Lansing to bring public attention to the matter, the details and date to be determined.
"We've got to address this immunity thing. Our government is not above the law," Myre said.
"These kids deserve justice," Gregory said.
Earlier this month, an appeals court rejected an effort to overturn the most serious of the criminal convictions against the shooter.
The shooter's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were convicted in 2024 of four counts of manslaughter for their roles in the circumstances.
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