Wrongful Death Attorneys
Providing Compassionate Counsel for Your Family
No one is ever fully prepared to cope with the loss of a loved one. The days and weeks that follow can be the most trying times of your life, especially if your loved one’s death was the result of negligence or misconduct. Under these circumstances, you may be entitled to compensation and receive the justice that you and your family deserve by filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
What is a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
A death is classified as a wrongful death when a person is killed because of another party’s negligence or misconduct. Those who were dependent on or were a beneficiary of the deceased may be entitled to damages.
Every state in the country has some form of wrongful death law with varying degrees of complexity. In the immediate aftermath of a death, a wrongful death lawsuit may not seem like a pressing matter. But unfortunately, if a wrongful death lawsuit isn’t filed within a specific time period, you and your family could risk losing your right to compensation for your damages.
If you believe you have a wrongful death claim, we encourage you to contact our wrongful death attorneys at Wisner Baumat (855) 948-5098 or online.
Common Types of Wrongful Death Claims
- Transportation Accident
- Trucking Accident
- Aviation Accident
- Bus Accident
- Train Crash
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Pharmaceutical Product Catastrophic Injury
- Medical Device Catastrophic Injury
- Wrongful Death Lawsuit Compensation
Damages from Wrongful Death Claims
Damages stemming from a wrongful death lawsuit fall into two broad categories. The first are damages experienced from the moment the negligent action occurred until the time of death. In a truck accident, for example, this category of damages would cover the time from the start of the accident until the victim is pronounced dead of his or her catastrophic injuries. Medical expenses, the victim’s pain and suffering, lost wages, funeral and burial expenses would all fall into this category.
The second category of damages stemming from a wrongful death covers financial losses experienced by the victim’s dependents and/or beneficiaries. This includes projected future earnings from the time of the accident until the victim’s anticipated retirement.
In addition to the loss of income and support, often the largest aspect of a client’s recovery is for personal losses. The particular items of recovery vary from state to state, but where authorized by the law of the state where the lawsuit is filed, we generally seek compensation for each surviving heir’s grief, mental suffering, and loss of the decedent’s comfort, society, love, affection and companionship.
Why Hire a Wrongful Death Attorney?
Although it can seem overwhelming to think about filing a wrongful death lawsuit after the loss of a loved one, hiring an experienced wrongful death attorney will allow you to focus your energy on the healing process. It is also the most effective way to hold any responsible parties accountable for the wrongful death and ensure that you and your family are awarded fair compensation. The defense attorneys are already working very hard to protect their clients’ interests, so the sooner you get a proven and established team on your side, the better off you’ll be.
Your Wrongful Death Rights Explained
When you hire wrongful death attorneys, you are hiring a law firm that will act as a team working closely with you and your family for some time to come. You should hire a firm with whom you feel comfortable because they will be guiding you and your family through a difficult time. The firm should be one which has been there before and knows the ropes – one that has successfully handled many similar cases. That firm must also be able to bear all of the considerable up-front costs necessary for the team of lawyers, paralegals, clerks and experts necessary to prepare and successfully litigate your case.
There are several actions a wrongful death law firm must accomplish as soon as it begins working on the case:
- Ensure that the Personal Representative for the estate has been appointed and that the probate estate has been opened whenever required
- Determine which individual and/or entity may be at fault
- The wrongful death attorney may also have a choice as to whether to file in federal or state court, and thus is able to select the more advantageous forum.
- Determine which “notice” provisions are required
- Develop a discovery strategy
The respective defendants and their insurance companies will most certainly be represented by legal experts and claims adjusters with years of experience in just this area of law. They will have the research staff, nationwide databases, the ability to conduct legal research in all of the fifty states, and the financial means to vigorously defend your case for their own ends. Wisner Baum can and will, given the opportunity, level the playing field and do the same for you.
Contact our firm at (855) 948-5098 today to schedule a free consultation. We serve clients in California and nationwide.
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Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co. $2 Billion
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Pharmaceutical Settlement $105 Million
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Whistleblower Settlement $18 Million
$18 million settlement for Boeing government overcharging on aircraft maintenance
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A Major US Plane Crash $17.5 Million
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Commercial Truck Accident $15 Million
$15 million settlement for a person gravely injured by a major truck company
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Commercial Truck Accident $8.5 Million
$8.5 million wrongful death verdict against food industry company, Tyson Foods


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A ranking in The U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” is widely regarded by both client and legal professionals as a significant honor. It is considered the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere.
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Wisner Baum is proud to be a sponsor of The Truck Safety Coalition, a a group of caring individuals dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by truck-related crashes. Our support enables them to help families and save lives.
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Law360 recognizes law firms that have a strong regional presence, working on important matters within their home state. “[Wisner Baum] possesses a David v. Goliath-sized slingshot while seeking justice for everyday citizens it believes were harmed or killed through corporate wrongdoing.”
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NLJ and American Lawyer Media honor law firms and attorneys as Elite Trial Lawyers for their cutting-edge legal work on behalf of plaintiffs in practice areas ranging from mass torts to securities litigation.
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Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. A listing in Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers.
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Less than one-half of one percent of firms across the nation have achieved this ranking. A firm must have a high percentage of lawyers who have achieved the prestigious AV® Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell®.
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The National Law Journal inducted Wisner Baum into the Verdicts Hall of Fame for obtaining the $2 billion landmark verdict in the Roundup cancer case of Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto. The verdict was #1 in California and #2 in the U.S. in 2019 and is #9 in American history.
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Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
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The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 recognized the law firms of Wisner Baum, the Miller Firm and Audet & Partners with the 2019 Trial Team of the Year award (in the Mass Torts category) for their work in the groundbreaking case of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson v. Monsanto Company.
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An AV® rating reflects an attorney who has reached the heights of professional excellence. The rating signifies the highest legal ability, and very high adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability, and diligence.
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Wisner Baum is proud to have all of its lawyers listed in Avvo, a legal directory connecting people in need of legal services with lawyers and connecting lawyers to lawyers. Eight of our attorneys have earned a 10.0 perfect rating with Avvo.
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CA and USATopVerdict.com ranks our $2 billion verdict in Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto as the biggest verdict in California and the second largest verdict in the U.S. in 2019. It is the ninth largest verdict in U.S. history.
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Published annually, the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list recognizes the “best of the best” in this area of the law through nominations, research, and review by a board of their peers.
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In 2020, Law360 honored the law firms ”behind the litigation wins and major deals that resonated throughout the legal industry.” It recognized our success in several landmark cases.
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In 2018, our $289 million Johnson v. Monsanto verdict was the largest personal injury verdict in California. TopVerdict.com also ranked it #2 among all verdicts in California and #10 in the nation.
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The Bar Register is the definitive guide to the most distinguished law firms in America. It includes only those select law practices that have earned the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and have been designated by their colleagues as preeminent in their field.

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