No case brings a person back. What a wrongful death claim does is hold the responsible party accountable and make sure the people left behind — a spouse, children, parents — aren’t also left with the financial consequences of someone else’s negligence. We handle these cases with the seriousness they deserve, and we take the burden of the legal process off a grieving family.
What we do for you
- Identify who can bring the claim under California law (Code of Civil Procedure §377.60) — spouses, domestic partners, children, and in some cases parents and other dependents.
- Investigate the death with the same rigor as any serious-injury case: crash reconstruction, medical records, employer and government records.
- Pursue both the wrongful death claim (the family’s losses) and the survival action (the estate’s claim for what the person suffered before death).
- Handle every communication with insurers, so the family doesn’t have to.
What your case may be worth
No honest lawyer can give you a number on the first call. What we can tell you is what California lets you recover, and we’ll give you a realistic range once we’ve seen your medical records and the facts.
- Loss of financial support the person would have provided.
- Loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, guidance, and moral support.
- Funeral and burial expenses.
- Medical expenses incurred before death, through the survival action.
Deadlines that can end your case
- Two years from the date of death to file a personal injury lawsuit in California (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss it and the claim is gone, no matter how strong.
- Six months if a government entity is involved — a city bus, a public road defect, a county vehicle, a school. You must file an administrative claim first (Government Code §911.2), and that clock is unforgiving.
- Estate and probate steps sometimes need to happen before a survival action can be filed. We coordinate them.
What to do now
If you’ve lost someone:
- Get medical care first. Even if you feel okay. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap in treatment is the first thing an adjuster uses against you.
- Report it. Police report for a crash; incident report to the property or business for a fall. Get a copy or the report number.
- Photograph everything. The scene, vehicles, hazards, your injuries, and anything that changes quickly (weather, lighting, a wet floor).
- Get names. Witnesses, the other driver, the store manager. People vanish fast.
- Don’t give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer, and don’t sign anything, before you’ve talked to a lawyer.
- Call us. (818) 230-8380, any hour. We take it from there.
Questions we hear most
Who can file a wrongful death claim in California?
The surviving spouse or domestic partner, children, and — if there are none — whoever would inherit under intestate succession. Parents and stepchildren who were financially dependent may also qualify. We’ll tell you where your family stands.
Is there a criminal case too? Does it affect ours?
A criminal prosecution (for a DUI death, for instance) is separate. It can help our case with evidence, but it doesn’t compensate the family. The civil claim does, and it proceeds regardless of the criminal outcome.
We can’t afford a lawyer right now.
You don’t pay anything unless we recover money for you. That’s how every case at this firm works, and it’s especially important here.
Hurt in an accident? Talk to us before you talk to the insurance company.
Free case review, any hour, English or Spanish. No fee unless we win.
This page is general information about California law, not legal advice about your situation. Every case is different. Talk to an attorney about yours — the consultation is free.