Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

Under Florida law, only individuals meeting the definition of “Survivors” under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act may be compensated for losses resulting from the death of another person. (See this blog, Florida Wrongful Death Survivors Chart, for a handy reference to benefits available under the Act.)

Under section 768.18(1) of the Act, survivors are defined as: 

the decedent’s spouse, children, parents, and, when partly or wholly dependent on the decedent for support or services, any blood relatives and adoptive brothers and sisters. It includes the child born out of wedlock of a mother, but not the child born out of wedlock of the father unless the father has recognized a responsibility for the child’s support.

In January 2011, Richard Wiederhold was immediately rendered a quadriplegic in a motor vehicle crash. One month later he sued Domino’s Pizza as being responsible for the crash. Several months later he married his girlfriend. In March 2012, Mr. Wiederhold died, and his now-wife, Mrs. Wiederhold, as personal representative of his estate, was substituted as the plaintiff. She then filed an amended complaint to include a claim for wrongful death damages as Mr. Wiederhold’s surviving spouse.

Mrs. Wiederhold received a favorable jury verdict. Domino’s appealed, arguing that because Mrs. Wiederhold was not married to Mr. Wiederhold at the time of the accident, she was not a surviving spouse under the Act.

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We have blogged at length regarding the decision-making role of estate Personal Representatives with regard to the allocation of monetary proceeds recovered from at-fault parties and under/uninsured motorist insurance. Where the amount recovered is less than the full measure of damages, disputes often arise between creditors and the decedent’s survivors over the PR’s allocation decisions. When those disputes cannot be resolved by agreement, the courts must decide. While Florida’s Wrongful Death Act does not articulate preferences, our experience shows that courts tend to side with survivors in close cases.

In re Estate of Wiggins, 720 So. 2d 523 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999) is the seminal allocation case. It involved six adult surviving children and various creditors (owed a total of $26,000), including Indian River Memorial Hospital, vying over a $100,000 settlement. The matter was forced to trial, where the trial court agreed with the PR’s allocation which left creditors with nothing. The lower court’s ruling was upheld on appeal.

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Not infrequently, the amount of money available following a wrongful death accident to fully satisfy outstanding debts (e.g., medical bills, funeral expenses, credit cards) and compensate survivors for their loss is inadequate. Where the settlement [in the wrongful death claim] is less than the full value of the claim, the personal representative is charged with employing a reasonable and equitable method of apportioning the distribution of settlement proceeds among the survivors and the estate. See In re Estate of Wiggins, 720 So. 2d 523 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999).

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Understanding who may be eligible for compensation under the “Florida Wrongful Death Act,” sections 768.16 through 768.26, can be difficult, like piecing together a puzzle. Reproduced here is an easy to understand chart showing that information as well as the type of compensation that may be available. Of particular importance concerning these issues is Section 768.21 of the Act. It is that section which is broken down in the chart.

According to the Act, only statutory “survivors” and the decedent’s estate are eligible for compensation resulting from a loss caused by the intentional act or negligence of a third party. A Personal Representative, often the decedent’s family member, is appointed by the court to manage the estate after due notice to the survivors and other interested parties. The PR hires the attorney to prosecute the case to recover damages. While the survivors typically agree with the PR’s choice, they may hire their own attorney. The lawyer or lawyers will handle the case on a contingent fee basis.

The Act has survived many court challenges to its fairness. Many of its provisions are counter-intuitive and unfair. One of the most glaring faults involves an exemption for medical providers whose negligence caused death. (See Gigantic Loophole in Florida’s Wrongful Death Act.) Changes must come from the Florida Legislature.

Spouse Dies – Surviving Spouse but no Surviving Children
Spouse’s Damages:

• Loss of Decendent’s Companionship and Protection
• Mental Pain and Suffering from date of injury
• Loss of Support and Services from date of injury to date of death (w/ interest)
• Future Loss of Support and Services from date of death (at present value)
• Medical and Funeral Expenses due to decedent’s injury/death if paid by survivor

Spouse Dies with Surviving Children and Surviving Spouse
Spouse’s Damages:

• Loss of Decendent’s Companionship and Protection
• Mental Pain and Suffering from date of injury
• Loss of Support and Services from date of injury to date of death (w/ interest)
• Future Loss of Support and Services from date of death (at present value)
• Medical and Funeral Expenses due to decedent’s injury/death if paid by survivor

Childrens’ Damages:

• Loss of Support and Services from date of injury to date of death (w/ interest)
• Future Loss of Support and Services from date of death (at present value)
• Minor children only (under the age of 25 – Section 768.18(2) Florida Statutes), or all children if there is no surviving spouse, may also recover loss of parental companionship, instruction, and guidance and mental pain and suffering from date of the injury

Parent Dies with Surviving Children but no Surviving Spouse
Surviving Children:

• Loss of Support and Services from date of injury to date of death (w/interest)
• Future Loss of Support and Services from date of death (at present value)
• All children may recover loss of parental companionship, instruction, and guidance and mental pain and suffering from date of the injury

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When a person dies from an accident in Florida, who, if anyone, can be compensated for the loss is prescribed by statute in Florida’s Wrongful Death Act, Sections 768.16-768.26. The Act refers to those who are eligible as “survivors.”

The survivors list can be inequitable. For example, under some circumstances parents and children are barred from recovering for the painful loss of a loved one caused by the negligence of a wrongdoer. (See this blog for the survivors list broken down into chart form: Outline of Compensation for “Survivors” Under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act.)

Odd as it sounds, Florida wrongful death claims are not brought by statutory survivors. Rather, they are brought by Personal Representatives on behalf of survivors. WD actions are filed in the PR’s name, and the PR chooses the lawyer to handle the case. (While individual survivors can hire separate counsel to protect their interests, it is the PR and the PR’s chosen attorney who essentially control the course of the action.)

The PR can be a survivor. This may seem like an unworkable conflict, however, Florida laws and judges do an excellent job of policing cases to avoid problems. PRs have a serious fiduciary duty to apportion the proceeds of any recovery in a reasonable and equitable manner to each survivor. Section 733.602 Florida Statutes ; In re Estate of Wiggins, 729 So.2d 523 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999); Continental National Bank v. Brill, 636 So.2d 782 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1994); University Medical Center v. Ziegler, 625 So.2d 125 (Fla. 5th DCA 1993); Guadalupe v. Peterson, 779 So.2d 494 (Fla. 2nd DCA 2000); and Thompson v. Godson, 825 So.2d 941 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002) review denied 835 So.2d 266 (Fla. 2002). Failing to do so properly is messing with fire.
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