Have You Suffered the Untimely Loss of a Loved One?

There are three different types of damages that a jury can award a plaintiff in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Economic Damages

Economic damages include the value of the victim’s financial contributions to his or her family if he or she had not died. These damages include all of the following:

• Medical expenses related to the death;
• The victim’s funeral and burial expenses;
• An award for the loss of the victim’s expected earnings;
• Any benefits that are lost, like pension plans and medical coverage;
• The loss of the victim’s inheritance because of the wrongful death; and
• The value of goods and services that would’ve been provided by the deceased loved one.

Non-Economic Damages

Although these damages are harder to define, non-economic damages are also part of a wrongful death claim. Some examples of non-economic awards of damages include the following:

• The survivors’ grief and emotional injury, which is known as mental anguish, pain, and suffering;
• The loss of care, guidance, support, and parenting that would have been provided by the deceased; and
• The loss of the deceased’s love and companionship.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages include awards that are intended to punish or deter the defendant for particularly egregious, malicious, or severe conduct. A punitive damage award in the state of North Carolina is capped at the greater of three times compensatory damages or $250,000.