Two $100 million lawsuits were levied against the Oxford Community School District and several school employees Thursday on behalf of one student who was shot during the shooting and that student’s sister, who witnessed the shooting.
“The plaintiffs are listed as Riley and Bella Franz and their parents, Jeffrey and Brandi Franz, as representatives for the minors,” according to WDIV.
They’re suing for damages accrued during a November 30 shooting at the school, allegedly committed by 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley. The boy allegedly killed four students and injured seven others when he allegedly opened fire with a pistol taken from his parents. He has been charged with murder, and his parents have been charged with manslaughter.
The plaintiff family is represented by Fieger Law, a powerful firm based in Southfield, Michigan.
“Since 1950, Fieger Law has stood strong as a powerful representative on behalf of those who have been injured due to the neglect and recklessness of another,” said the firm’s website. “Today, the firm is known around the world for winning more record-breaking settlements and verdicts than any other firm in the country. Fieger Law has the manpower and resources to handle any case, no matter how complex.”
Geoffrey Feiger filed the lawsuit Thursday.
“The horror of November 30, 2021 was entirely preventable,” he said in a statement.
The plaintiffs claim the school district could have stopped the attack, and that their alleged negligence allowed the shooting to occur. Crumbley’s parents were called into school to discuss his behavior on the morning of the shooting.
“At Oxford High School, they’ll search your backpack if they think you’re vaping, but they refused to suspend or search a student who wrote what we now know was reams of homicidal notes and drawings, scenes of classroom slaughter and mania,” Fieger said.
Superintendent Timothy Throne, High School Principal Steven Wolf, Dean Ryan Moore are reportedly among those who are listed as defendants.
The school district did not return a comment request.
Fieger has represented a number of high-profile clients, including Jack Kevorkian who was tried for performing doctor-assisted suicides. Kevorkian was acquitted each time he was represented by Fieger, though he was later convicted when he represented himself.
He also represented the family of Isaiah Shoals, a student at Columbine High School who was killed in the infamous 1999 shooting there. That lawsuit was filed against the parents of killers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris.
Fieger ran for governor of Michigan in 1998, and lost to John Engler.
He also does occasional legal analysis for MSNBC.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Michigan Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Geoffrey Fieger” by Fieger Law.
