At Wisner Baum, we know that no one expects to suddenly lose a family member, life partner, or dear friend. Unfortunately, it does happen — sometimes because of another party’s negligence.
If negligence caused the untimely death of someone in your family, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim to seek justice and compensation for this preventable tragedy. We know legal action is likely the last thing on your mind when you are mourning a loved one, so let our attorneys provide you with compassionate legal counsel and fight to bring the at-fault party (or parties) to justice on your behalf.
Contact Wisner Baum online or call (310) 207-3233 today to consult with our team of compassionate wrongful death attorneys in Los Angeles, CA.
Any death that has occurred as a result of another party’s negligence is considered a “wrongful death” in the eyes of the law.
Thus, wrongful death claims can arise from many different accidents, including but not at all limited to:
Since wrongful death claims are so wide-ranging, it is essential to work with an attorney experienced in the specific type of accident that caused your loved one’s death. Wisner Baum is home to lawyers with decades of experience and skill litigating in a wide variety of practice areas. With varied backgrounds and areas of expertise, your case is in good hands with us.
Call our Los Angeles wrongful death attorneys at (310) 207-3233 today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation with our personal injury team.
According to recent crash data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, California ranks #2 in the U.S. for both number of fatal car accidents and number of car accident deaths, seeing an average of 10.9 car accident deaths per 100,000 people.
The city with the highest number of car accident fatalities in 2022 was Los Angeles, with 506 auto accident deaths, followed by San Diego (208 fatalities), San Francisco (142 fatalities), and Sacramento (128 fatalities). The most common cause of these accidents was speeding, followed by distracted driving, failure to yield, and driving under the influence (DUI).
According to truck crash statistics from 2022, California ranks #2 in the U.S. for total number of truck accidents (13,603), truck accident injuries (4,172), and truck accident fatalities (459).
On average, around 2.8% of all truck accidents nationwide result in at least one death, with occupants of other vehicles making up 72% of those fatalities, followed by truck drivers (17%) and other individuals like pedestrians and bicyclists (11%).
Related: Truck Hotspots in the Los Angeles Area
According to data from the Public Policy Institute of California, homicides in California increased by 33.9% in 2022 when compared to 2019, with gun-related homicides increasing by nearly 38%. Although the number of homicides in Los Angeles has continued to drop in recent years, there were still hundreds of homicides in the city in 2022, totaling 382 deaths.
According to data from the CDC, California had the highest number of homicide-related deaths in the U.S. in 2021, with a total of 2,495 deaths. When considering California’s population size, however, the state ranks 20th for homicide mortality (6.4 deaths per 100,000 people).
Filing a wrongful death lawsuit is an option available for individuals who have lost a loved one due to the carelessness or negligence of someone else. The process involves bringing a civil lawsuit against the individual, company, or entity responsible for the death.
Importantly, a wrongful death lawsuit can be filed regardless of whether criminal charges have been brought against the defendant or not. This is because the criminal justice system and civil justice system operate independently of each other. While a criminal case seeks to punish the wrongdoer for violating the law, a civil lawsuit aims to compensate the victim's family for the losses they have suffered. A wrongful death lawsuit is not a homicide trial.
In criminal cases, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of a crime (e.g., vehicular manslaughter). However, in civil cases, where the goal is to hold the responsible party accountable for damages and compensation, the burden of proof is lower; the plaintiff must prove their case by a preponderance of evidence, meaning that it is more likely than not that the defendant caused the wrongful death.
Regardless of the circumstances that led to your loved one’s death, it is important to seek the counsel of a qualified wrongful death lawyer in Los Angeles who can guide you through the process and help you understand your rights and the legal grounds on which to pursue your case.
Simply put, the sooner you contact a lawyer at Wisner Baum, the better.
Our Los Angeles wrongful death lawyers will be able to help you avoid missing any important deadlines and can take steps to lay a strong foundation for your case, from assisting you in identifying the at-fault party to determining whether to file your case in a federal or state court. We will also ensure your loved one’s probate estate is opened, when appropriate, and that any and all notice provisions are taken care of.
Wisner Baum’s legal team fights for the rights of wrongful death claimants and has a record of winning high-profile cases. We understand that nothing can make up for the loss of a family member, but if negligence was a factor in their untimely death, the party responsible should be brought to justice.
Call our Los Angeles wrongful death attorneys today at (310) 207-3233 for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
"Wisner Baum gave exceptional attention to all aspects of the case, detailed inquiry, and tenacious overview of all the information submitted. The paralegals are efficient and diligent. I was completely surprised to find an empathic personal message to take care of my own health during the challenging time of being a full-time caretaker.*"
In May of 2019, the jury in the case of Pilliod et al. v, Monsanto Company ordered the agrochemical giant to pay $2.055 billion in damages to the plaintiffs, Alva and Alberta Pilliod, a Bay Area couple in their 70s. R. Brent Wisner served as co-lead trial attorney for the Pilliods, delivering the opening and closing statements and cross-examining several of Monsanto’s experts. Wisner Baum managing shareholder, Michael Baum and attorney Pedram Esfandiary also served on the trial team in the Pilliod case.
The judge later reduced their award to $87M. Monsanto appealed the Pilliod’s verdict which the California Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District denied on August 9, 2021. Monsanto then requested the California Supreme Court review the appeal’s court decision, which the court denied on Nov. 17, 2021. Monsanto (Bayer) then submitted a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court which SCOTUS denied on June 27, 2022, allowing the final judgment of $87M to remain intact.
$289.2 million jury verdict in Monsanto Roundup trial
Wisner Baum co-represented Dewayne “Lee” Johnson in the first Roundup cancer lawsuit to proceed to trial. On Aug. 10, 2018, a San Francisco jury ordered Monsanto to pay $39.25 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages to Mr. Johnson, a former groundskeeper who alleged exposure to Monsanto’s herbicides caused him to develop terminal non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Months after the jury verdict, the judge overseeing the trial reduced the punitive damages to $39.25 million. Mr. Johnson decided to accept the remittitur, bringing the adjusted amount awarded to Mr. Johnson $78.5 million.
Monsanto (Bayer) appealed the verdict and Johnson cross appealed. On July 20, 2020, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict against Monsanto but reduced Mr. Johnson’s award to $20.5 million. The company chose not to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, ending the litigation.
In 2016, Wisner Baum attorney Timothy A. Loranger and six other attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Management Committee were able to secure a $265 million settlement for victims of the 2015 Amtrak 188 derailment in Philadelphia, one of the largest in the U.S. for 2016.
