Alabama Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Alabama wrongful death law under Code 6-5-410: the 2-year deadline, why only the personal representative can sue, and the unique punitive-only damages rule.
5 min read
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Wrongful Death Laws
52 articles
Arkansas Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Arkansas wrongful death claims: the 3-year deadline to file, who can sue (personal representative or heirs at law), survival actions, damages, and fault rules.
7 min read
California Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
California wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline to file, who can sue under CCP 377.60, survival actions, what damages are allowed, and the 2026 sunset.
7 min read
Colorado Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Colorado wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, the spouse's first-year priority, survival actions, the solatium option, the noneconomic cap, and fault.
7 min read
District of Columbia Wrongful Death Laws (2026)
DC wrongful death law: the 2-year deadline, the personal representative who files, the pecuniary-loss rule (no grief), the Survival Act, and contributory fault.
6 min read
Florida Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Florida wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, who the personal representative sues for, damages, the medical-malpractice limit on adult children, caps.
7 min read
Georgia Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Georgia wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, who can sue and in what order, the full value of the life measure, the separate estate claim, and caps.
7 min read
Hawaii Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Hawaii wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, who can sue, loss of society damages, the survival action, and the $375,000 pain-and-suffering cap.
7 min read
Iowa Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Iowa wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, who can file (the estate's administrator), damages, the survival action, fault, and how proceeds pass.
5 min read
Kansas Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Kansas wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, who can file (any heir at law), the $250,000 cap on nonpecuniary damages, fault, and how recovery is divided.
5 min read
Kentucky Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Kentucky wrongful death claims: the short 1-year deadline tied to the estate representative, who can file, damages, no cap (Ky. Const. 54), and distribution.
6 min read
Louisiana Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Louisiana wrongful death and survival deadlines after the 2025 change, who may sue under the exclusive beneficiary classes, damages, caps, and fault.
5 min read
Maine Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Maine wrongful death deadline (3 years), who may file, wrongful death vs survival, recoverable damages, and the current caps on comfort and punitive damages.
5 min read
Maryland Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Sues
Maryland wrongful death deadline (3 years from death), primary and secondary beneficiaries, survival actions, damages, the noneconomic cap, and fault.
5 min read
Massachusetts Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Massachusetts wrongful death law: the 3-year deadline, who can file, the damages and punitive minimum under G.L. c. 229, and whether any caps apply.
6 min read
Michigan Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Michigan wrongful death law: the 3-year deadline, the personal representative who must file, the damages under MCL 600.2922, caps, and how courts distribute.
6 min read
Minnesota Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Minnesota wrongful death law: the 3-year deadline (6-year ceiling), the court-appointed trustee who files, and pecuniary-loss damages under Minn. Stat. 573.02.
6 min read
Mississippi Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Mississippi wrongful death law: the deadline, the listed family members who file one combined suit under Miss. Code 11-7-13, the survival overlap, and damages.
5 min read
Missouri Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Missouri wrongful death law: the 3-year deadline (RSMo 537.100), the tiered classes of who may sue under RSMo 537.080, recoverable damages, and fault rules.
5 min read
Montana Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Montana wrongful death law: the 3-year deadline (10 for homicide), the personal representative who files under MCA 27-1-513, plus survival claims and damages.
5 min read
Nebraska Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Nebraska wrongful death law: the 2-year deadline from death, who files (personal representative), pecuniary-loss damages, and why punitive damages are barred.
7 min read
Nevada Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
Nevada wrongful death law: the 2-year deadline, the two claims under NRS 41.085 (heirs and the estate), grief and companionship damages, and no damage cap.
7 min read
New Hampshire Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
New Hampshire wrongful death law: survival statute RSA 556:12, the 3-year deadline, who files, and 2025 caps ($500,000 spouse, $300,000 each other claimant).
7 min read
New Jersey Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
New Jersey wrongful death law: the 2-year deadline, who files, the pecuniary-only damages rule and Green v. Bittner, the separate Survival Act, and caps.
5 min read
New Mexico Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
New Mexico wrongful death law: the 3-year deadline, the personal representative as statutory trustee, the value-of-life damages under NMSA 41-2-1, and caps.
6 min read
New York Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
New York wrongful death law: the 2-year deadline, who files, the pecuniary-only damages rule under EPTL 5-4.1, the vetoed Grieving Families Act, and caps.
5 min read
North Carolina Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
North Carolina wrongful death law under G.S. 28A-18-2: the 2-year deadline, who must file, the damages allowed, and the pure contributory negligence rule.
6 min read
North Dakota Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
North Dakota wrongful death law under N.D.C.C. ch. 32-21: the 2-year deadline, the priority list of who may sue, the damages allowed, and comparative fault.
7 min read
Ohio Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Sues
Ohio wrongful death law under R.C. 2125.02: the 2-year deadline, who must file, the presumed beneficiaries, damages, caps, and comparative fault.
7 min read
Oklahoma Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Oklahoma wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline under 12 O.S. 1053, who can sue, survival actions, recoverable damages, and the struck-down noneconomic cap.
5 min read
Oregon Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Oregon wrongful death claims: the 3-year deadline under ORS 30.020, who can sue, what damages are allowed, the $500,000 noneconomic cap, and how fault applies.
5 min read
Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Sues
Pennsylvania wrongful death and survival actions: the 2-year deadline, who can sue under 42 Pa.C.S. 8301, the separate survival claim, damages, and fault rules.
6 min read
Tennessee Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Sues
Tennessee wrongful death claims: the short 1-year deadline (extendable to 2), who can sue under T.C.A. 20-5-106/107, the pass-through model, damages, and caps.
8 min read
Texas Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Texas wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, who can sue under CPRC 71.004, the separate survival action, damages, the exemplary damages cap, and fault.
7 min read
Utah Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Utah wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, who can sue under 78B-3-106, the separate survival action, damages, and the constitutional ban on damage caps.
7 min read
Vermont Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Sues
Vermont wrongful death deadline (2 years from death under 14 V.S.A. 1492), who the personal representative sues for, survival actions, damages, and fault rules.
8 min read
Virginia Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Sues
Virginia wrongful death deadline (2 years), beneficiary classes under 8.01-53, survival actions, damages under 8.01-52, and the strict contributory fault rule.
8 min read
Washington Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Sues
Washington wrongful death deadline (3 years), the post-2019 beneficiary rules under RCW 4.20.020, survival actions, damages, no cap after Sofie, and pure fault.
8 min read
West Virginia Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines
West Virginia wrongful death under W.Va. Code 55-7-5 and 55-7-6: the 2-year deadline, the personal representative who files, recoverable damages, and fault.
6 min read
Wisconsin Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Sues
Wisconsin wrongful death under Wis. Stat. 895.03 and 895.04: the 3-year deadline (2 years for motor-vehicle deaths), who can sue, the society cap, and fault.
7 min read
Wrongful Death Laws by State (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
How wrongful death claims work, plus a state-by-state guide to the deadline to file, who can sue, the damages available, and any caps on wrongful death
10 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in Alaska (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Alaska wrongful death law under AS 09.55.580: the 2-year deadline, who the personal representative sues for, recoverable damages, and the survival action.
5 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in Arizona (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Arizona wrongful death law under ARS 12-611 to 12-613: the 2-year deadline, who can sue, recoverable damages, and why the state bars damage caps.
6 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in Connecticut (2026): Deadlines
Connecticut wrongful death law: the 2-year deadline (5-year repose), who can file, the decedent-centered damages model, caps, punitive damages, and fault rules.
5 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in Delaware (2026): Deadlines
Delaware wrongful death law: the 2-year deadline, who can file, wrongful death vs survival, damages including mental anguish, caps, punitive damages, and fault.
5 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in Idaho (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Idaho wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, who can sue (heirs or estate), recoverable damages, the noneconomic damages cap, and how fault rules apply.
8 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in Illinois (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Illinois wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline (with exceptions), who can file, grief and mental suffering damages, the Survival Act, and the damage caps.
7 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in Indiana (2026): Deadlines & Who Can Sue
Indiana wrongful death claims: the 2-year deadline, Indiana's three wrongful death statutes, the $300,000 adult cap, who can file, damages, and how fault works.
7 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in Rhode Island (2026): Deadlines
Rhode Island wrongful death law: the 3-year deadline, who can file, the $350,000 statutory minimum recovery, the earnings formula, consortium, and fault rules.
6 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in South Carolina (2026): Deadlines
South Carolina wrongful death law: the 3-year deadline, who can file, the beneficiary hierarchy, grief and companionship damages, and the fault rules.
5 min read
Wrongful Death Laws in South Dakota (2026): Deadlines
South Dakota wrongful death law: the 3-year deadline, who can file, the pecuniary-loss damages model, no cap, the survival action, and the slight-gross fault
5 min read
Wyoming Wrongful Death Laws (2026): Deadlines & Who Sues
Wyoming wrongful death under Wyo. Stat. 1-38-101 to 1-38-102: the 2-year deadline, the wrongful death representative who files, damages, and the no-cap rule.
7 min read