$100m suit filed in school shootings

Parents of survivors of the mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan filed a $100 million lawsuit on Thursday against the school district and employees, saying they failed to prevent the rampage in which four students were killed and seven people were injured, despite multiple warnings.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Michigan by Jeffrey and Brandi Franz on behalf of their daughters, Riley Franz, 17, a senior, and Bella Franz, 14, a freshman. Riley was shot in the neck while next to Bella during the attack on Nov 30.

She was hospitalized following the shooting and now is recovering at home.

The lawsuit was filed by the parents' lawyer, Geoffrey Fieger. He is preparing to file a similar suit in state court, which will also seek $100 million. But Fieger said that state law makes it difficult to successfully sue public bodies like school districts. He said a federal lawsuit allows him to subpoena the school district for records and evidence connected to the shooting.

Fieger represented survivors of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado. Two teens killed 13 people and wounded more than 20 others before turning their guns on themselves.

The lawsuit names the Oxford school district, Superintendent Tim Throne, Oxford High School Principal Steven Wolf, the dean of students, two counselors, two teachers and a staff member.

It accuses school officials of failing to stop an attack that inflicted physical and psychological injuries on students, even though school officials were already alerted to the violent threats in the hours and days before the shooting rampage, and students and parents also raised concerns two weeks earlier.

Both girls have suffered from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder after the incident, along with physical and/or emotional injuries, according to the lawsuit.

Ethan Crumbley, 15, has been charged with one count of terrorism causing death and four counts of first-degree murder. His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, because they should have known that their son was a danger to his school, according to the prosecutor. All have pleaded not guilty.

The lawsuit claimed constitutional violations under the 14th Amendment and violations under Michigan state law because the teenagers "had a clearly established right to be free from danger". The lawsuit states that school staff members acted in "reckless disregard" for the victims' safety.