Wrongful Death

One area in which a civil litigation attorney often practices is wrongful death lawsuits. The main belief that the death of a person is harmful to those that depended on him or her for emotional and financial support is the foundation of this type of lawsuit. A death could be considered wrongful if it was caused by a reckless act, a negligent act (i.e. careless driving) or an intentional act (i.e. murder). While most states in the country have enacted statutes that allow relatives to sue in the case of wrongful death, who is permitted to serve as a representative can vary. This means a California wrongful death attorney might have different information for you than one from Texas would have. In some states, only a spouse or children may file a suit, while other states allow for other relatives to do so. There are also states with restrictions on one family member suing another.