Wrongful Death

Three jurisdictions. Three different statutes. Three different answers.

Wrongful death is entirely a creature of statute, and the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia each wrote a different one. Who may bring the claim, who is entitled to the money, what categories of loss are recoverable, whether a separate survival action must be filed alongside it, and how long you have — all of it changes at the state line.

Getting that framework wrong at the outset is not a detail. It determines who has standing, whether a personal representative must be appointed first, whether a probate court has to approve any settlement, and how the recovery is divided among survivors.

What these cases are actually built on

The economic loss is provable — earnings, benefits, the value of services the family no longer receives. Establishing it properly usually requires a forensic economist rather than a spreadsheet. The non-economic loss is where the real value sits and where the work is hardest, because it means showing a jury what a specific person meant to a specific family.

Several of our largest recoveries have been wrongful death matters. Their terms are confidential, and we honor that.

Call (202) 524-0123 for a free, compassionate consultation.