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Oxford School district seeks to dismiss lawsuit that holds them accountable for the Nov. 30 school shooting

Posted at 5:51 AM, Jan 05, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-05 13:59:20-05

(WXYZ) — The Oxford School district is once again asking for a judge to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to hold the district and staff members accountable for the November 30th shooting that killed four students and left several others hurt.

Andrea Smalt has a child that attends Oxford. She is one of the parents suing the school and staff members in state and federal court.

"We want to change policies and procedures so this doesn't happen again. Not just for our kids that are currently in the school but for the kids that follow after them," she said.

"It's how we get answers because as of yet we have not," another parent adds.

But those answers may be delayed. Right now, Oxford School attorneys claim the blame for the killings starts and stops with the Crumbleys. In their filing, they state that the lawsuit is without legal merit because the tragedy falls on the shooter who pled guilty. They add that claims of negligence do not negate governmental immunity.

"You can't tell us certain citizens have higher rights than others. We've probably done close to 20 depositions. 15-20. We need another 8-10. School board members and superintendents," attorney Ven Johnson said.

Johnson is strongly opposing the possibility of dismissal before all the facts are gathered. Wolf Mueller, who represents families of the victims, also expressed some frustration.

"They are really going through trauma," Mueller said. "Now it's compounded by the school district hiding behind lawyers and legal motions to not give answers and not be transparent."

A judge is expected to decide whether or not to dismiss this lawsuit sometime this week.