What Is the Average Wrongful Death Settlement in California? (And How to Calculate Your Case)

Friday, November 2, 2018 by The Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Herman

If you have recently lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence, recklessness, wrongful act or omission to act, you are probably going through a lot right now. No money in the world can bring back your loved one (that is a known fact), but one thing cannot be debated: you have to carry on with your life for the sake of your family.

And how much you can recover in a wrongful death case has a direct correlation with the financial wellbeing and quality of your life after the death of your family member.

While there is no way to give a short answer to the question “What is the average wrongful death settlement in California?” our Ventura County wrongful death attorney Jeffrey Herman will give you a longish response that answers your question in full.

As you have probably guessed by now, there is no way to calculate how much your wrongful death settlement or verdict will be worth. And there are legitimate reasons why it is such an impossible task. However, there is a way to find out an approximate value of your wrongful death case. And that is to hire a wrongful death lawyer who will perform a thorough review of your case and take all factors into account.

Because, believe it or not, there is a whole lot of factors that California courts take into consideration when doling out any amount of money to surviving family members.

Is it possible to recover millions of dollars?

One of the biggest obstacles when determining the average wrongful death settlement in California is that the vast majority of such cases are confidential and their records cannot be accessed without the estate or surviving family members’ permission.

In fact, even if you see exact figures on some websites, they may be exaggerated or embellished by wrongful death lawyers in order to create an illusion of a massive payday and, therefore, prompt you to seek their legal help.

While receiving millions of dollars in a wrongful death settlement or verdict is nothing extraordinary for Ventura County or any other city or county across California, there are many cases that end in a settlement totaling only a few thousand dollars.

What factors are taken into account by California courts?

Generally, there are a plethora of factors that juries and judges will take into account before handing out wrongful death payments to the deceased’s surviving family members. This is because the value of every wrongful death lawsuit depends on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to the cause of death, the age and income of the victim, the size of the household, marital status, and a number of children, to name a few.

How do California state laws govern wrongful death cases?

Another major factor that is taken into account is state laws. In some states in our country, there are many state laws that limit the amount of money surviving family members can recover in wrongful death cases.

But fear not: California imposes no limits when it comes to recovering money in a wrongful death lawsuit, our Ventura County wrongful death attorney from the Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Herman says.

Let’s calculate the value of your claim

So is it possible to say for certain what is the value of your wrongful death claim? Is it $500,000? $1 million? $15 million? While it is generally not possible to calculate the exact amount of money you will be able to settle for, an experienced wrongful death lawyer can give you an approximate estimate.

Contact our best lawyers in Ventura County to get a free case evaluation today. Call our offices at 805-983-2344 or fill out this contact form now.