$14.5M
Settlement
Truck Accident
$13M
Settlement
Trial Verdict
$9.87M
Settlement
Bike Accident
$2.25M
Settlement
Ride Share Accident
$2.25M
Settlement
Slip and Fall
California Wrongful Death Lawyers Who Honor the Weight of the Case
Losing a family member to someone else’s negligence is not a “personal injury” case. It is a different kind of case — one where the client is a grieving family and the goal is not only accountability for what the defendant did but also long-term financial security for the people left behind. California’s wrongful death statute, Code of Civil Procedure § 377.60, defines exactly who can bring the claim and what damages are recoverable. Our job is to carry the legal fight so the family can focus on grief, memory, and each other.
Compass Law Group, LLP handles California wrongful death cases from seven offices — Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, and Bell Gardens. Our firm has recovered $250,000,000+ total for California injury and wrongful death victims, including seven and eight-figure results on fatal truck accident and motorcycle accident cases.
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Who Can File a California Wrongful Death Claim
CCP § 377.60 provides a specific list of people who have standing to sue — and that list controls everything. The right to file belongs to:
- The surviving spouse or registered domestic partner
- The decedent’s children (including adopted children, and, if no children, their issue)
- If there is no surviving spouse, domestic partner, or issue, then anyone who would inherit under California intestate succession
- “Dependent” putative spouses, stepchildren, and parents of the decedent, if they can demonstrate actual financial dependence on the decedent
- Minor children who were residing in the decedent’s household for at least 180 days and were dependent on the decedent for at least half their support
California also recognizes a separate survival action under CCP § 377.30, brought by the decedent’s estate, to recover damages the decedent themselves could have claimed if they had survived — including pain and suffering before death, medical bills incurred, and punitive damages against particularly egregious defendants. Both the wrongful death claim and the survival action can be filed together and often are.
What Damages California Wrongful Death Families Can Recover
California wrongful death damages fall into economic and non-economic categories. Economic damages — as the California Courts Self-Help Center explains — are the measurable financial losses: loss of the decedent’s financial support to the family (measured by projected future earnings), loss of household services (the monetary value of childcare, cooking, cleaning, and home maintenance the decedent would have provided), funeral and burial expenses, and the reasonable value of gifts or benefits the decedent would have contributed. Non-economic damages cover the loss of love, companionship, comfort, affection, society, moral support, and training and guidance — the human value of the relationship itself.
One thing California wrongful death law does not allow: the grief, sorrow, or mental anguish of the surviving family members themselves. That is an unusual rule in the American legal landscape and it surprises almost every new client. What the law does compensate is the value of what was lost — the relationship, the contributions, the presence — not the pain of the loss. Our job is to translate the specific life of the decedent and the specific role they played in their family into concrete economic and non-economic evidence a jury can understand and value.
Common Causes of California Wrongful Death Cases
Fatal cases come from every corner of personal injury practice:
Fatal car accidents:
rear-end, head-on, intersection collisions, and high-speed freeway crashes
Fatal truck accidents:
18-wheeler rollovers, jackknife events, and rear-end impacts
Fatal motorcycle accidents:
often caused by a left-turning driver who “didn’t see” the rider
Fatal pedestrian accidents:
hit-and-run, crosswalk strikes, and parking-lot fatalities
Fatal bicycle accidents:
dooring fatalities, right-hook collisions, and motorists running red lights
Fatal drunk driving accidents:
unlock punitive damages on top of compensatory
Fatal bus accidents:
common carrier duties and government claim deadlines
Fatal falls and premises liability cases:
especially for older clients suffering hip-fracture complications
Fatal bicycle accidents:
apartment fires, industrial explosions, and post-collision fires
Fatal workplace incidents:
construction accidents, industrial equipment failures, and exposure cases
Medical negligence deaths:
surgical errors, delayed diagnoses, and medication errors
Nursing home neglect deaths:
pressure ulcers, dehydration, falls, and elopement
How We Value a California Wrongful Death Case
Valuing a wrongful death case is both harder and more structured than valuing an injury case. Economic losses are modeled by forensic economists using actuarial tables, wage data, and household-services valuations. Non-economic losses — loss of companionship — are shaped by the strength and history of the family relationships. What pushes a California wrongful death case toward the top of its range:
- Working-age decedent with strong, provable earnings history and remaining work life
- Clear liability — signed police report, eyewitnesses, video evidence
- Multiple layers of coverage and multiple defendants
- Multiple eligible plaintiffs (surviving spouse plus minor children) magnifying companionship damages
- Egregious defendant conduct — DUI, phone use, hours-of-service violations, prior safety issues — which opens punitive damages under the survival action
Our firm’s track record includes eight-figure recoveries on fatal truck accident and motorcycle accident cases. We invest in forensic economists, life-care planners, vocational experts, accident reconstructionists, and biomechanical engineers. We only take wrongful death cases we are prepared to try. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is unique.
California Deadlines You Cannot Miss
California wrongful death claims must be filed within two years of the date of death under CCP § 377.60. Not two years from the date of the underlying accident — the clock runs from the death. When the responsible party is a public entity — a CHP officer, a city garbage truck, a public transit bus, a public hospital — you have only six months to file a written government claim under California Government Code § 911.2 before you can sue. Medical negligence wrongful death cases are governed by MICRA and have their own time limits. Missing any of these deadlines ends the family’s right to recover.
California Venues for Wrongful Death Litigation
First Steps After a Sudden California Death
In the immediate aftermath of a sudden death, nothing we say is going to feel helpful. What we can tell families is this: do not sign anything from an insurance company. Do not give a recorded statement. Do not accept a “courtesy” payment. Do not let the responsible party’s carrier control the conversation. Preserve every piece of paper you receive — the police report number, the coroner’s report, the hospital records, the funeral home paperwork. Take your time with the decisions that can wait, and call a wrongful death attorney for the decisions that cannot. We will handle the preservation letters, the evidence work, the insurance claims, and the litigation so the family can be present with each other.
Meet the Attorneys Leading Your Case
Your case at Compass Law Group is led by one of our two managing partners. Together they bring decades of California personal injury trial experience, hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, and a courtroom record that forces defense carriers to take the case seriously from day one.
Joseph Shirazi
Managing Partner, CA Bar #265403. A Loyola Law School graduate named to the National Top 100 Trial Lawyers and holder of an Avvo 10.0 “Superb” rating. His results include a $14,500,000 truck accident verdict and a $13,000,000 trial verdict. He is a member of Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), and the American Association for Justice. Read Joseph Shirazi’s full bio →
Simon Esfandi
Managing Partner, CA Bar #275307. A Southwestern Law School graduate recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star. He led the firm’s $9,870,000 motorcycle accident settlement and a $2,250,000 rideshare recovery, and focuses his practice on catastrophic personal injury trials. Read Simon Esfandi’s full bio →
Both partners are admitted to practice in every California state trial court and in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Compass Law Group was founded in 2015, maintains a 5.0/5.0 rating on Google across 193+ verified client reviews, and has recovered more than $250,000,000 for injury victims across the state. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is unique.
Why Compass Law Group
- $250,000,000+ recovered for California injury victims
- Seven and eight-figure results on fatal truck accident and motorcycle accident cases — past results do not guarantee future outcomes
- 5.0 stars on Google, 193+ verified client reviews
- Seven California offices — Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, Bell Gardens
- No win, no fee — we advance every cost and only get paid when you do
- Free confidential consultations in English, Spanish, Farsi, and Korean — available 24/7 at (213) 657-5102
Talk to a California Wrongful Death Lawyer Today
- If your family has lost a loved one to the negligence or wrongful act of another anywhere in California, call Compass Law Group, LLP at (213) 657-5102 for a free and confidential consultation. No-win no-fee representation, 24/7 availability in English, Spanish, Farsi, and Korean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can file a wrongful death lawsuit in California?
Under CCP § 377.60, the surviving spouse or registered domestic partner, the decedent’s children, and — if none of those exist — the people who would inherit under California intestate succession. Dependent putative spouses, stepchildren, and parents can also file if they can prove financial dependence.
What damages are available in a California wrongful death case?
Economic damages including loss of financial support, loss of household services, and funeral/burial expenses. Non-economic damages for loss of love, companionship, affection, comfort, and moral support. Survival action damages for the decedent’s pre-death pain, medical bills, and punitive damages when the defendant’s conduct was egregious. California does NOT allow recovery for the surviving family member’s own grief or sorrow.
What is the statute of limitations for wrongful death in California?
Two years from the date of death under CCP § 335.1 / § 377.60. Six months to file a written government claim under Government Code § 911.2 when a public entity is responsible. Medical negligence cases follow MICRA rules.
What is the average wrongful death settlement in California?
There is no average. Wrongful death verdicts and settlements range from six figures to eight figures depending on the age and earnings of the decedent, the number of eligible plaintiffs, the strength of liability evidence, and the conduct of the defendant. Every case is unique.
Is there a cap on wrongful death damages in California?
No cap on ordinary wrongful death damages. Medical negligence wrongful death cases are subject to the MICRA cap on non-economic damages, which was increased by 2023 legislation and now escalates annually.
What is the difference between a wrongful death claim and a survival action?
A wrongful death claim (CCP § 377.60) is brought by the family and compensates them for their losses. A survival action (CCP § 377.30) is brought by the estate and compensates for what the decedent themselves could have recovered — pre-death pain, medical bills, and punitive damages.
How long does a wrongful death lawsuit take?
Most California wrongful death cases resolve within 12 to 36 months. Catastrophic cases with multiple defendants and complex liability can take longer if they proceed to trial.