Any estimate of “the average wrongful death settlement in California” would inevitably mislead you.
The reason for this is that settlement amounts vary so much in value that any estimate of a typical wrongful death settlement simply wouldn’t give you any way to reliably estimate the value of your own claim.
Instead, you need to understand the various factors that go into building a wrongful death claim, so you can apply those factors to your own.
For immediate assistance, please give us a call or send an online message today for a free consultation. We can help you determine the value of your wrongful death settlement in California.
If one person is injured in an accident caused by someone else’s wrongful conduct (anything from negligence to intentional criminal conduct), they can file a personal injury claim seeking compensation.
What happens, however, when the victim dies in the accident? A deceased person cannot file a lawsuit.
Instead, you can file two different types of lawsuits within the California wrongful death statute of limitations—a survival action or a wrongful death action.
A survival action seeks recovery for losses that the victim of the accident suffered prior to their death such as medical bills, lost wages, and property damage (but not pain and suffering).
Any recovery goes to the victim’s probate estate for eventual distribution to heirs.
A wrongful death action seeks damages for losses incurred by the victim’s family and dependents as a result of the victim’s death.
Since the victim has already passed in a wrongful death claim, it is not obvious who should file the lawsuit.
California law clarifies who can file:
If the person has no spouse, children, or descendants, then California law applies rather complex rules to determine who is eligible to file a lawsuit among the victim’s relatives and financial dependents. The court will divide any recovery among these parties.
A typical wrongful death settlement check in California covers both economic and non-economic damages. Your legal expenses will come out of your settlement.
Keep in mind that a good lawyer, especially one skilled at settlement negotiation, can increase the amount of your compensation so much that you will end up with far more, even after paying your lawyer, than you would have had if you had simply negotiated the claim on your own.
California wrongful death lawsuit settlement amounts include a number of components. Here are the types of damages that you can demand.
Economic damages are easy-to-count damages, including:
The foregoing list is not necessarily exhaustive.
Non-economic damages are intangible damages, typically of a psychological nature, including:
You cannot recover for the victim’s own pain and suffering in a wrongful death claim.
Courts normally don’t award punitive damages even when the claimant wins the case. In a few cases, however, courts will award them. When they do, they add punitive damages to the compensatory damages described above.
Courts typically award punitive damages in cases of intentional harm or extreme recklessness. It might award punitive damages in a wrongful death settlement if, for example, if the defendant killed the victim in a “road rage” car accident.
Understanding the theoretical components of wrongful death damages is not enough to calculate the real value of the claim. Practical components frequently intervene. Following is a description of some of these components.
Comparative fault comes into play when the accident or incident that killed the victim was partly the victim’s fault. Suppose, for example, that the victim was hit by a speeding car with an intoxicated driver while the victim was jaywalking in a zebra crossing.
When two parties are at fault, a California court will apportion fault between them on a percentage basis. Each party will lose the percentage of the damages that are attributable to their own fault.
If the victim was 10% at fault, for example, they will lose 10% of their damages. If they were 97% at fault, they will lose 97% of their damages. You can be sure that the defendant will try to use comparative fault against you.
It doesn’t matter how high of a judgment a jury grants you if the defendant doesn’t have enough money to pay for it.
California drivers can legally carry as little as $15,000 in bodily injury liability insurance, which isn’t nearly enough to pay the average wrongful death claim. Typically, well-insured defendants include commercial truckers, Uber drivers, and commercial establishments.
This factor is highly influential, and it is often overlooked. Your lawyer needs two attributes—negotiation skills and a strong track record of winning in court.
A strong track record of winning in court is critically important because, without it, the other side will feel comfortable refusing to negotiate and waiting for you to take them to court, where your lawyer hasn’t proven they can win. Incidentally, at Glotzer & Leib, LLP we do not run into that problem.
It is not a good idea to speak with the insurance company on your own. Instead, retain an attorney and redirect all further communications to your attorney. The reason for this is that insurance company adjusters are professional negotiators.
Their goal is to defeat or minimize your claim, and they have a thousand tricks up their sleeve. We won’t fall for a single one of them, because we’re heard them all before.
Legal claims have a half-life. The longer you wait to pursue them, the less likely you are to win. Contact Glotzer & Leib, LLP any time 24/7 by calling us at 747-241-8288 or by contacting us online to schedule a free, confidential consultation.
We serve clients in the Greater Los Angeles areas as well as throughout Southern California.
“Mr. Glotzer represented me after I was involved in a car accident. I was badly injured,but the insurance company refused to offer me a reasonable settlement. I decided to find an attorney and decided to hire Josh.
His law firm did a great job on my case. They were very responsive to all my questions and obtained a great resolution for me. I received way more money than was originally offered. I would recommend their firm to friends and family.”
“Mr. Josh Glotzer is a great attorney. Over the last 15 years he has helped me on a number of cases with professionalism, and more importantly a positive outcome in my favor. I have referred him to a number of friends and colleagues, all of which have been equally as happy with his legal representation. I trust him and confident in legal ability. I highly recommend his law firm.”
“Don’t try to deal with insurance companies on your own. They strung me along for almost two years before I gave the case to Glotzer & Leib. Josh and his team quickly obtained a settlement that netted me many times what the insurance company was offering. Thank You!”
“My wife was in a car accident last year and Josh did an amazing job representing her. It’s very refreshing to see someone in his profession that actually cares and puts his clients first. He’s the best in the business and I feel so fortunate that I was referred to him. Keep up the great work and thanks for everything you did for my family!”
“I was in a rear end car accident last year and hired Mr. Glotzer’s office. It wasn’t a big case but their office helped me with my property damage claim and did a good job resolving the injury portion of the case as well.”
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