Law360 (October 27, 2026, 8:40 PM EDT) -- A Michigan federal judge approved a $500,000 settlement Tuesday in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the mother of a 17-year-old girl killed in the 2021 Oxford High School shooting, bringing an end to litigation against the school district after the Sixth Circuit ruled school officials were entitled to qualified immunity.

U.S. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith approved the agreement between Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of Madisyn Baldwin and personal representative of her estate, and Oxford Community School District, following a hearing Tuesday in which attorneys outlined how the settlement would be distributed among Baldwin's parents and three younger siblings.

"I do conclude that the settlement is a fair and reasonable one," Judge Goldsmith said. "It does represent an appropriate disposition of this matter in light of the litigation history of the case."

The agreement provides $400,000 to Baldwin's family after $7,890.69 in litigation costs and $92,109.31 in attorney fees are deducted from the settlement.

Beausoleil and Baldwin's father, Robert Baldwin, will each receive $150,000, while the remaining $100,000 will be divided equally among Madisyn Baldwin's three minor siblings through structured settlements that will make payments to the children beginning when they turn 18.

The agreement comes after the Sixth Circuit ruled in March 2025 that school officials were protected by qualified immunity from claims brought by families of students killed or injured in the Nov. 30, 2021, school shooting. The federal lawsuits were subsequently dismissed with prejudice.

During Tuesday's hearing, Wolfgang Mueller of the Mueller Law Firm, who represents Beausoleil, told the judge the settlement was appropriate given the unusual procedural history of the litigation.

"This is not your typical wrongful death settlement where I would ask my client, you can go to trial, you can get more, you can get less, you get nothing," Mueller said.

Mueller pointed to a report filed by court-appointed guardian ad litem Marc Shreeman supporting the proposed settlement and the distribution of funds to Madisyn Baldwin's younger siblings.

"Under the circumstances, I think it is nothing but reasonable," Mueller said.

Judge Goldsmith questioned Beausoleil under oath to confirm she understood the agreement, had approved the distribution of proceeds and had communicated with Madisyn's father about the structured settlements for their children.

Beausoleil confirmed she agreed to the proposed allocation and understood the settlement would fully resolve the estate's claims against the defendants.

Annabel F. Shea of Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC, representing the school district, also questioned Beausoleil to establish that the agreement represented a complete and final resolution of the litigation.

Shea confirmed that Beausoleil understood that $150,000 would be distributed to each parent and that Beausoleil was responsible for ensuring Robert Baldwin received his portion.

Judge Goldsmith questioned the attorneys about the mechanics of the structured settlements for Madisyn Baldwin's siblings, including how the children would receive the funds if their parents died before they reached adulthood.

Mueller explained the money would be controlled by an insurance company rather than the children's parents, eliminating the need for a conservatorship.

"The structured settlement has already been funded, so the $100,000 that is allocated to the three minor children, that $100,000 has already been funded in that annuity," Shea said.

Shreeman, who was appointed earlier this month to review the settlement on behalf of the minor beneficiaries, told the judge he supported the agreement and had spoken directly with Madisyn Baldwin's father.

"I certainly wholeheartedly support this settlement, the distribution and the annuities, the structured settlements that have been set up," Shreeman said.

The settlement documents provide for payments to the children beginning on their 18th birthdays, Shreeman said, without requiring their parents to manage the funds.

Judge Goldsmith approved the settlement but directed Mueller to submit a revised proposed order clarifying how the proceeds would be transmitted to the beneficiaries.

Judge Goldsmith also approved the requested attorney fees and litigation costs, as well as Shreeman's $990 fee, which Mueller agreed to pay from his portion of the settlement.

Mueller told the court his firm had reduced its usual one-third contingency fee to 20% and then agreed to an additional reductio so the estate would receive exactly $400,000.

At Mueller's request, Judge Goldsmith made a finding that Madisyn Baldwin, who was killed by a close-range gunshot wound to the head, did not experience conscious pain and suffering before her death.

The finding supports distributing the settlement proceeds directly to Madisyn Baldwin's surviving family members rather than through her probate estate.

Madisyn Baldwin was among four students killed when Ethan Crumbley opened fire at Michigan's Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. The other students killed were Hana St. Juliana, 14; Tate Myre, 16; and Justin Shilling, 17. Seven individuals were injured.

Crumbley plead guilty to first-degree murder and other charges and was sentenced to life in prison. His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, were separately convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Following the shooting, victims and their families filed lawsuits alleging Oxford, Michigan, school officials failed to take appropriate action after discovering Ethan Crumbley's disturbing drawings and writings on the morning of the shooting.

The litigation focused, in part, on the conduct of then-dean of students Nicholas Ejak and school counselor Shawn Hopkins, who met with Ethan Crumbley and his parents after teachers reported concerns about his behavior.

School officials returned Ethan Crumbley's backpack, which contained a firearm, and allowed him to return to class. The shooting occurred hours later.

The victims' families argued the school officials' actions increased the danger facing students, supporting constitutional claims under a state-created danger theory.

In March 2025, however, a Sixth Circuit panel determined the officials' conduct did not meet the constitutional standard required to establish liability under that theory.

In concluding Tuesday's hearing, Judge Goldsmith acknowledged the emotional toll the shooting and years of litigation had taken on the Baldwin family.

"This represents closure of the lawsuit, but obviously, the very human circumstances that produced the lawsuit will remain with us," Judge Goldsmith said. "I'm just heartened that we can at least bring closure to this portion of this sad chapter."

Beausoleil is represented by Wolfgang Mueller of the Mueller Law Firm.

The school district is represented by Annabel F. Shea, John L. Miller, Kenneth B. Chapie and Timothy J. Mullins of Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC.

The case is Beausoleil v. Oxford Community School District et al., case number 2:22-cv-11250, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. 

--Additional reporting by Danielle Ferguson. Editing by Lakshna Mehta. 

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