The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that Steve St. Juliana, the father of Hana St. Juliana who was a victim in the Oxford High School shooting CAN proceed with a lawsuit against the State of Michigan.
The court ruled unanimously that Mr. St. Juliana can sue the Michigan State Police for failing to take action on tips that were made to the OK2SAY tip line that mentioned an attack was planned at the high school.
According to records, OK2SAY tips were received regarding Ethan Crumbley making social media posts about the gun used in the shooting. St. Juliana said in his lawsuit that law enforcement and school administrators allegedly ignored those threats when they were made aware of them.
Mr. St. Juliana sought damages from the state, asserting State Police did not fulfill its duty to address the escalating tips and threats of violence in the lead up to the attack. The lawsuit noted that St. Juliana only became aware of those tips as they emerged in a separate legal battle with the school district.
A notice of intent to sue was filed with the Court of Claims in September 2022, within six months of discovering the tips to State Police.
Attorneys for the state and the department, however, filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that St. Juliana hadn’t complied with the Court of Claims Act’s rule necessitating a lawsuit be filed within six months of Hana’s death.
Court of Claims Judge James Redford dismissed the case on March 6, 2024, noting that Steve St. Juliana’s lawsuit was filed two years after he was appointed as the representative of his daughter’s estate.
Upon appeal, Steve St. Juliana asserted that the Court of Claims erred because a provision in the Revised Judicature Act of 1961 involving wrongful-death savings rendered his complaint as timely filed.
The Court of Appeals decision, which was issued Thursday but released publicly Friday July 18th, ruled in favor of Mr. St. Juliana and remanded the case back to the Court of Claims, where the case can continue.