Wrongful Death Claims and Lawsuits

When a person dies because of the negligent, deliberate, reckless, or careless actions of another person or business entity, it may constitute grounds for a wrongful death claim or lawsuit. Families grappling with the shock and loss of a loved one should not have to face the additional hardship of the lost financial or other support the deceased person provided. Under California wrongful death laws, immediate family members may be eligible for compensation for their losses and damages. These family survivors include spouses, children, dependent stepchildren, and parents. If no immediate family members as described exist, then those who would inherit the victim's estate may file a wrongful death claim or the deceased's personal representative as appointed by the probate court may file on behalf of the deceased's estate.

Wrongful death cases may follow in the aftermath of a car or other traffic accident involving a negligent driver, auto or auto parts manufacturer, or other negligent parties, as well as in the cases of other incidents or accidents, such as public transportation accidents, deliberate criminal assaults, falls, or similar types of preventable fatalities. The most common scenario for a wrongful death suit is the loss of a loved one in a motor vehicle accident in which negligence occurred.

What are the potential damages obtainable in a wrongful death action?

Compensation that may be awarded in a wrongful death suit include funeral and burial expenses, the financial support the decedent would have provided his or her beneficiaries, any loss of benefits or gifts stemming from the death, and / or the loss of household services or care provided by the decedent. Family members may also be awarded non-economic damages in terms of the loss of companionship, affection, or comfort or the loss of sexual relations.

Wrongful death cases can be complex legal affairs which require skill and experience on the part of an attorney. Liability and proof of damages must be proven to courts in such cases as well as other technical matters involving life expectancy, the quantifying of non-economic losses as well as proving other damages. At the Law Offices of Haleh Shekarchian, our wrongful death attorney is thoroughly versed in all of the laws and legal factors involved in these types of cases. Our firm has helped countless individuals and families secure the financial compensation they need and deserve in the wake of a cruel and unexpected family loss.