When someone dies unexpectedly in California, families may be left with grief and significant economic concerns. Wrongful death lawsuits are a way of addressing the need for closure and the financial impact of a family member’s death.
Plaintiffs typically request a specific amount of compensation after a tragedy. Economic damages or losses based on provable financial consequences are often the main contributing elements to the overall value of a wrongful death lawsuit. However, they can also request compensation for non-economic damages to better address the numerous ways in which a loss could affect their lives.
What is the purpose of non-economic damages?
Non-economic damages are essentially a monetary representation of intangible losses. Practical or economic losses are easy to quantify after a tragedy, as they relate to provable expenses and easily verifiable lost income.
Non-economic losses relate to the social, psychological and emotional consequences of a tragedy on those who survive. The quality of life and the support they have may decline because of the loss of a loved one.
Surviving family members can seek compensation for their loss of companionship, while spouses may be able to request damages for the loss of consortium. Children can ask the courts to compensate them for the loss of guidance from their prematurely deceased parent. The state does not consider grief a compensable non-economic damage.
Families may find it difficult to effectively quantify their losses — especially the intangible or non-economic losses they suffer. Working with a legal professional can make it easier to understand recoverable damages that people can request in a wrongful death lawsuit.