LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan State Police (MSP) are patting themselves on the back with a shiny press release about its OK2SAY program, celebrating a record-breaking 11,671 anonymous safety tips in 2024.
But not everyone is ready to throw them a parade – especially not the family of 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, one of four students murdered at Oxford High School.
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Why? Because that very same OK2SAY program is at the center of a wrongful death lawsuit alleging MSP failed to act on crucial warnings before the November 2021 school shooting that took Hana’s life.
Lawsuit alleges state ignored warnings about Oxford shooter despite detailed tips.
According to the recently published Michigan Court of Appeals unanimous opinion, the tipline allegedly received detailed alerts about threats at Oxford, including warnings about a specific student – Ethan Crumbley – and even social media posts referencing a handgun gifted to him days before the massacre.
Despite the wave of concern about Crumbley coming from the public, the lawsuit claims MSP and its partners took no meaningful action. Now, Hana’s father, Steve, is suing, saying the tragedy could have been prevented if the state’s student safety program actually lived up to its mission.
Critics say MSP ignored red flags.
Yet, in the very same month the Court of Appeals gave the lawsuit new life, MSP released a triumphant news bulletin declaring, “That’s the power of OK2SAY.” That quote, straight from MSP Director Col. James F. Grady II, might not age well as this case moves forward.
The timing? Impeccably awkward.
Court says father of victim met deadline to file.
The defendants, the State of Michigan and the Michigan State Police (MSP), tried to get the case thrown out by filing a motion for summary disposition, arguing that Hana St. Juliana’s father missed the legal deadline to notify the state about his intent to sue. Specifically, they claimed he was required to file notice within six months of the school shooting on November 30, 2021, and because he filed it in September 2022 – after the deadline – they argued the case should be dismissed. The lower court agreed and dismissed the case, but the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed that decision, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.
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The Michigan Court of Appeals decided that under the Michigan Wrongful Death Act, families have additional time to file a notice of intent after being appointed as the personal representative of the deceased’s estate. Since Hana’s father filed the notice within two years of being named her personal representative, the court ruled the case can move forward.
Kevin Carlson of Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers who is the attorney for Hana St. Juliana’s estate told Michigan Advance, “We are pleased by the Michigan Court of Appeals’ decision to reverse the dismissal of our client’s case. By allowing this case to proceed, the court is upholding the principles of fairness and leading us closer to a path of justice. For two years, the State has tried to delay and derail our client’s case, going so far as to withhold 91 pages of critical documents that should have been turned over. We hope this reversal can finally force the State to face its consequences and instate changes that ensure the tragedy that occurred on November 30, 2021, will never happen again.”
When the stakes were highest, the system allegedly froze.
While the MSP touts tips about bullying, drugs, and some confiscated weapons, the elephant in the room is impossible to ignore: a system that claims to protect kids is being accused – under oath – of dropping the ball when it mattered most. The real test of a safety initiative is how it responds when real, specific threats come in hot – and according to the lawsuit, that’s where MSP failed.
There’s no doubt that tip lines can be powerful tools. But it’s also clear from court documents that the OK2SAY program, and those responsible for acting on its tips, might have missed the most tragic red flags of all.
It begs the question: Can we really say it’s “OK” when students die after others speak up to try to prevent a tragedy? For now, MSP would prefer you focus on the positive numbers. But the courtroom may soon force them to account for the human cost behind the statistics.
