Wrongful Death Attorney Los Angeles
No settlement brings someone back. Our job is to make sure the people responsible and their insurers are held fully accountable. Former insurance defense attorneys at Lederer & Nojima know how insurers minimize wrongful death claims. We stop them.
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California law recognizes that when someone dies due to another person's negligence, the surviving family suffers measurable economic and emotional harm. Wrongful death claims in California allow spouses, children, domestic partners, and financial dependents to recover compensation for loss of financial support, loss of companionship, loss of household services, and funeral costs. California Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 defines who can file and what damages can be recovered.
David Lederer and John Nojima are former insurance defense attorneys who defended wrongful death claims. They know how insurers minimize these cases: argue the decedent was comparatively at fault, argue the family's economic loss is speculative, argue the loss of companionship is not quantifiable, dispute the decedent's future earning capacity. These defenses work when the plaintiff's attorney does not have the economic and medical experts to quantify the family's total loss.
We build wrongful death cases to account for lifetime damages. When a parent, spouse, or child dies, the economic loss includes decades of lost income, lost benefits, lost household contributions. The emotional loss includes years of companionship, guidance, and love. We retain economists and life care planners who calculate these losses with precision. Insurers cannot minimize what we prove with expert testimony.
Former Insurance Defense
We defended insurers in wrongful death cases. We know every argument they use to reduce damages and how to defeat each one with expert testimony.
No Fee Unless We Win
Wrongful death cases require economic experts, life care planners, and extensive litigation. We front all costs. Your family pays nothing unless we recover.
Compassionate Representation
We understand that no amount of money replaces your loved one. Our job is to ensure the responsible parties and their insurers are held fully accountable.
How Insurers Minimize Wrongful Death Claims
These are the defense tactics we used when we represented insurers in wrongful death cases. Now we defeat them.
They argue the decedent was comparatively at fault
Even in wrongful death cases, insurers argue the decedent contributed to their own death. Comparative fault reduces the recovery dollar-for-dollar. We use accident reconstruction and expert testimony to prove liability rests entirely with the defendant.
They dispute the family's economic loss
Insurers argue the decedent was retired, unemployed, or had low earning capacity. They minimize or ignore household services, lost benefits, and future earning potential. We retain economists who calculate the decedent's lifetime economic contribution to the family.
They claim loss of companionship is not quantifiable
California law allows survivors to recover for loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society, and moral support. Insurers argue these are subjective and speculative. We use testimony from family members, friends, and experts to quantify the loss.
They delay and hope the family gives up
Wrongful death cases are emotionally draining. Insurers know this. They delay discovery, dispute every expert, and refuse reasonable settlement offers hoping the family will accept a lowball offer to end the pain. We litigate until they pay what is owed.
How We Handle Wrongful Death Cases
Investigation
We retain accident reconstruction experts, interview witnesses, secure police reports, and gather all evidence proving the defendant's negligence caused your loved one's death.
Economic Analysis
We retain forensic economists who calculate the decedent's lifetime earning capacity, household services, benefits, and financial contributions to the family. Every dollar your family lost is quantified.
Loss of Companionship Testimony
We work with family members to document the decedent's role in their lives. We present testimony from spouses, children, parents, and friends that makes the jury understand what was lost.
Multi-Party Liability
Wrongful death cases often involve multiple defendants. Trucking company and driver. Property owner and maintenance contractor. Manufacturer and retailer. We pursue every responsible party.
Trial Preparation
Insurers lowball wrongful death cases hoping the family settles. We prepare every case for trial from day one. When insurers know we will take it to verdict, they pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can file a wrongful death lawsuit in California?
What damages can be recovered in a California wrongful death case?
How long do I have to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles?
Can I file a wrongful death claim if the at-fault driver had no insurance?
What if my family member died in a truck or workplace accident?
Related Practice Areas
Lederer & Nojima, LLP
12100 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 480, Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 312-1860
Results may vary. Every case is unique. The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Lost a Loved One to Negligence in Los Angeles? Call Now.
No fee unless we win. Compassionate representation from former insurance defense attorneys.
Available 24/7 · No fee unless we win · (310) 312-1860