The unexpected loss of a loved one is a painful and very emotional experience that unfortunately happens to thousands of people each year. This is, without a doubt, one of the worst experiences that human beings have to deal with. To further compound your pain, you learn that the death was caused by the actions of another person, adding yet another challenge, an unanticipated financial issue to be solved. Medical bills and funeral costs loom as you try to process your loss. These are sudden costs that need to be dealt with soon. The loss of a family member isn’t lessened because they have been ill for a time, but it does give you the opportunity to plan and budget.
You also grieve differently as you have been mentally preparing for their loss. The sudden death provides little time to plan and prepare. What it does do is give you some issues to resolve that simply aren’t anticipated. When you realize that your loss came at the hands of a person who may have been negligent or reckless, you may find yourself angrier than you have ever been in your life. You are going to try to understand how someone could behave this way. If you are experiencing a sudden loss due to the act of another person, please call us at the Normandie Law Firm. We can help you deal with the legal aspects of a wrongful death and give you some options that will help you deal with your immediate needs as well as what is going to come later.
There isn’t enough money in the world to replace the person you lost. This isn’t about money in a normal sense. What it will be able to do is help you deal with the changes to your life, coping with losing their income, as well as the unplanned costs of medical care and their final arrangements. What it will also do is replace the income lost with the death of your family member in the short term. It will mean that you don’t have to go looking for a new home, and that the family doesn’t suffer more than they already are. When you lose a family member to wrongful death, the person responsible for that loss needs to step up and be accountable. When we get a call from a client going through what you are right now, their 1st question is about the average cost of hiring a wrongful death lawyer in San Francisco. Normandie Law Firm is going to help you determine and much more.
A recent survey shows the average billing rate for civil lawyers in the State of California to be more than $350 per hour. A well-known firm with a reputation for successful litigation will bill more per hour than when it represents a family in a wrongful death lawsuit. If you review the estimates of what the costs are for many families when filing a wrongful death lawsuit, the upfront costs can be as significant as $25,000, and that is just to begin the process. What separates the Normandie Law Firm from other experienced and respected law firms is that the Normandie Law Firm team will not charge you any upfront legal fees or expenses when we take on your case.
Each member of our legal team cares about the law and the protection it gives to people dealing with the unexpected death of a husband, wife, or child. Without expert advice, navigating the complex legal system can be challenging and can be almost impossible. We are capable and ready to serve you while using our experience in litigation and settling these types of suits before we get to court. We only bill you after the case is resolved and you have been awarded damages, which will include our fees. There will be more on this later.
If you want to pursue the person or entity that is responsible for the death of a family member, please get in touch with the legal staff at the Normandie Law Firm. We will answer the majority of your basic questions over the phone and are ready to schedule an initial consultation with a wrongful death lawyer in San Francisco as soon as we can meet with you. The first meeting is free, and our goal is to determine the merit of your case and address the rest of your questions.
Once the lawyers have all of your information, they are going to review the legal merits of the case and advise you about having the grounds to move forward with filing a wrongful death lawsuit. At this point, you will have all the information as well as the resources you need to make a good decision about your family’s next steps and actions. Please get in touch with our team today if you are ready. There is a time limit for filing a wrongful death lawsuit with the court in the State of California.
Our Recent Verdicts and Settlements
$2.5 Million
$1.1 Million
$1.5 Million
$600,000
$525,000
$734,851
What Is The Time Limit To File A Wrongful Death Lawsuit In California
Regarding any cases and lawsuits that deal with wrongful death, you have 2 years to file a lawsuit with the court. The time limit starts on the day of the death you are suing for. If the lawsuit is not filed when the time limit expires, you lose your ability to receive compensation for your loss. It is critical to know that there are only a few very limited exceptions to this time limit that give you additional time to file. Please take the time as soon as you can to call the Normandie Law Firm. We can review the details of your wrongful death claim and advise you on how successful we believe the lawsuit will be. We can also estimate the amount of time needed to prepare and file your lawsuit. If you aren’t ready to file suit at the time, we can give you a date to be able to start the process that will not exceed the 2-year time limit.
The Rules Around Wrongful Death Lawsuits And What You Need To Understand
Wrongful death includes the loss of life due to the actions of another person, persons, or an entity like a corporation or business. The death can be the result of a complete accident. It can also be due to intentional recklessness, or even an assault of some kind. Typically, these cases are because of an accident that was caused by another and resulted in the loss of life. There are many examples like:
- Vehicle and pedestrian versus vehicle accidents
- Drownings and strangulation
- Accidents involving a firearm or other weapons, such as knives and clubs
- Exposure to toxic substances such as benzene
- Some forms of abuse or neglect, like elder abuse in a nursing home
- Medical malpractice in hospitals by doctors, such as misdiagnosing or making a critical mistake in treatment
- Work accidents of all kinds where the employer or property owner failed to ensure a safe workplace
- Defective products that caused injury leading to death
Can Anyone File A Wrongful Death Lawsuit In California?
No, a wrongful death lawsuit in California can only be filed by the surviving family that is directly affected by the death of the person killed. This includes:
- The surviving spouse or domestic partner
- The children of the deceased person
- The parents of a deceased minor child
For additional details on who is allowed to file a lawsuit for a wrongful death, please reach out to Normandie Law Firm at your convenience. Our team is here around the clock to answer these types of questions.
Can Anyone Be Sued In A Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
You are allowed to bring a lawsuit against any individual, group of individuals, or any entity you believe acted negligently or recklessly, causing the death of your family member. The most common targets of a wrongful death lawsuit are:
- The person who is directly responsible for the death by action or circumstance
- Anyone who might have failed to provide service, causing the death
- A group whose behavior and actions led to or caused the death
- Any entity, such as a corporation or employer, that may have created a dangerous workplace
- Any employer whose representative caused the death by conduct on behalf of the company
What Is The Average Value Of A Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
The dollar value of a life can be difficult to assess after the sudden passing of someone you love. It can be challenging to sit down and calculate what the financial impact is for what would have been the rest of their life. This is an area where the Normandie Law Firm is very experienced in all the areas and processes to help figure this out. It is the most distasteful process in these cases, but it is necessary.
Determining the financial loss is often easier than the non-economic damages we advise you to include in the lawsuit. When you think of items like the pain and suffering the family member sustained, your pain and suffering due to the loss, and your loss of companionship and emotional support, these things should all be part of the value of your loss. These factors should also be evaluated for each member of the immediate family as they work to deal with the emotions and loss, too. This can be an incredibly difficult challenge.
To be able to take a step back from the immediate events and emotions of the moment and be analytical is something many of our clients struggle to do. Normandie Law Firm has assisted many families in your position, and we will guide you in evaluating the impact of your loss. An in-depth evaluation regarding the monetary implications and the emotional loss is going to be painful in many ways, but you must determine what your needs are so that you are as prepared as you can be to move forward.
In California, the average wrongful death case damages awarded have historically been between $250,000 and $500,000. This is an average, and the legal team at Normandie Law Firm will work hard to maximize it to the best of their ability.
The Average Cost Of Hiring A Wrongful Death Lawyer In San Francisco And Upfront Costs
The team at Normandie Law Firm doesn’t want you to worry about hiring us to represent you and your family in a wrongful death lawsuit. At Normandie Law Firm, we are ready to furnish the expertise and our dedication without asking for any upfront payment. After we have completed the litigation or settlement discussions and you have the compensation you need, you will receive a bill for our services. Only then will we get paid for our work in preparing, filing, and litigating your wrongful death lawsuit. This simple process makes certain you get the money you deserve and that the legal costs get included in the suit damages. Please do not hesitate to contact the Normandie Law firm if you have lost a family member to a negligent act.
Other Pages on Our Website Related to This Topic
Can Stepparents Sue for the Wrongful Death of Stepchildren
Can a Boyfriend or Girlfriend Sue in a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in California
Do I have to Pay Taxes on a Wrongful Death Settlement
