OXFORD, Mich. (WXYZ) — After a lengthy court battle, we are now learning how much money is at stake when it comes to possible settlements and judgments for the victims of the Oxford School Shooting.
Four students were killed during the 2021 shooting and seven other people were injured.
“These are landmark, very important, big decisions that will have ripple effects,” said Ven Johnson, the attorney representing some of the victims.
Following the mass shooting, families of victims filed lawsuits against Oxford Community Schools. Those lawsuits have not been resolved yet.
According to court documents, back in January, the school district sued its insurance company over the amount of money it could offer to the victims.
The insurance company argued that the settlements should be capped at five million dollars in total because the attack was one “occurrence.”
Recently, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Jacob Cunningham ruled that each bullet that was fired by the Oxford School shooter is it’s own “occurrence” and that could mean more money for the 11 victims.
“We believe, ultimately, it’s going to be held and ruled at least $55 million worth of insurance coverage,” said Ven Johnson. “Therefore the families, they don’t automatically win that money, but that money could be used to settle the lawsuits or pay off the jury verdicts in the lawsuits when we go to trial.”
Attorney Ven Johnson represents some of the victims. Johnson says this money is a symbol of justice.
“These families could finally feel Oxford Community Schools stepped upped and did the right thing,” said Johnson.
Speaking of Oxford Community Schools, they sent us a statement about the ruling.
“We are pleased with the Oakland County Circuit Court’s ruling in favor of Oxford Community Schools in our lawsuit against insurer MASB-SEG. The ruling provides clarity on the amount of potential insurance coverage available to the school district and its employees for the underlying lawsuits. We hope that this ruling paves the way for us to soon resolve this matter. At the end of the day, there are no winners here. Our thoughts remain with all the families impacted by the horrific events of November 30, 2021 and we remain committed to resolving the related legal disputes on behalf of our school community.”
