Wrongful Death Lawyer in Los Angeles
Defective Product Caused a Death? Turn to a Firm with $600 Million Recovered.
Losing a loved one because of a defective product can leave your family facing grief, unanswered questions, and urgent decisions about evidence.
A wrongful death investigation may require identifying and preserving the product and its components, documenting the incident scene, collecting records, and determining which parties may bear responsibility.
Call us today at (866) 884-1717 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with our Los Angeles wrongful death attorneys.
Investigating Defective Products
Our firm, Shoop | A Professional Law Corporation, is based in Los Angeles and represents families nationwide in wrongful death claims involving defective consumer products, recalled medical devices, and industrial machinery failures. We carefully select and prepare technically complex cases, working with qualified professionals to investigate how a product was designed, manufactured, labeled, installed, or used.
Preserving the product and its components may be critical. Families should avoid discarding, repairing, altering, or returning the product, packaging, instructions, photographs, videos, purchase records, and incident documents until the evidence can be evaluated. A product doesn’t need to be recalled for a potential claim to warrant investigation.
In the last 14 years, Shoop & team's impressive track record includes hundreds of Product Liability cases resulting in verdicts or settlements exceeding $1 million. For a Product Liability team with an exemplary track record, clients choose Shoop.
Damages in a California Wrongful Death Case
California Wrongful Death Damages
In the State of California, there are plain-language jury instructions, often referred to simply as “CACI” (California Civil Jury Instructions). CACI 3921 discusses at length the types of damages recoverable for the wrongful death of an adult.
If jurors find a defendant liable for wrongful death, they must then determine the amount that reasonably compensates the plaintiff for the legally recognized losses. This compensation is referred to as “damages.”
California wrongful death damages generally include economic and noneconomic losses supported by the evidence. The amount and availability of those damages can depend on the claimant’s relationship to the person who died, expected financial and household contributions, life expectancy evidence, and the circumstances surrounding the death.
The Los Angeles wrongful death lawyers at Shoop | A Professional Law Corporation handle wrongful death claims arising from defective consumer products, medical devices, industrial machinery, and fire-related incidents. Our published results include a $24 million wrongful death settlement and a $30 million product liability verdict.
Product Evidence & Responsibility
In a defective-product case, proving damages is only part of the investigation. The evidence must also address whether a design defect, manufacturing defect, inadequate warning, or other product-related failure contributed to the death. Relevant materials may include the product itself, warnings and instructions, recall records, purchase documents, medical and death records, photographs, video, incident reports, and witness testimony.
Putting Our Clients First. Always.
Working With Shoop | A Professional Law Corporation
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Complimentary Consultation
You can get started on your case today by giving us a call. We would be happy to review your case at no charge or risk to you.
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Client-Centered Service
Our client services are focused on you, your rights, and your best interests. We proudly give the innocently injured a powerful voice.
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Experienced Legal Advocates
Our team draws on more than 35 years of combined experience to help represent clients to the fullest extent of the law.
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Results-Oriented Counsel
Our firm has been recognized nationally and locally for achieving landmark results, including multi-million dollar victories!
Product Liability Resources for Wrongful Death Claims
We understand that no monetary recovery can compensate for the loss of your loved one. Our role is to investigate what happened, identify potentially responsible parties, document the family’s recognized losses, and prepare the claim for litigation against manufacturers, insurers, and other defendants.
Some of our case results include:
- Child Wrongful Death: $12 Million
- Child Wrongful Death: $7 Million
- Wrongful Death: $1 Million
Our firm has recovered more than $600 million in verdicts and settlements. David R. Shoop secured a $30 million product liability verdict in Los Angeles County case BC594187, which involved a fatal rock-crusher incident. Our published record also includes a $24 million wrongful death settlement and nine-figure settlements in medical-device and product liability matters.
These cases can require immediate evidence preservation, technical analysis, coordinated discovery, depositions, and trial preparation. We commit the professional and financial resources needed to develop the matters we accept, including work with qualified professionals in engineering, biomechanics, accident reconstruction, and fire-cause analysis.
We take the time to get to know you, your family, and your story. Understanding your needs and goals allows us to build a claim around the evidence and the losses California law recognizes. We’re not a volume practice, and we don’t rush a resolution simply to move a file.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in California?
Parties who may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit in California include:
- Surviving spouse or domestic partner: The surviving spouse or domestic partner may seek damages that can include funeral and burial expenses, lost financial support, and recognized noneconomic losses.
- Surviving children: Children may seek damages for lost financial support, guidance, love, and affection following a parent’s wrongful death.
- Parties who may be entitled to intestate succession: In some situations, the deceased party may not have a surviving spouse, domestic partner, or children. Other people who would inherit under California intestate succession law, which controls inheritance when there isn’t a valid will governing the property, may have standing. Depending on the family circumstances, this may include the decedent’s parents or siblings.
Some special situations may allow other individuals who were financially dependent on the decedent to file a wrongful death lawsuit. This can include stepchildren, a putative spouse, and the children of a putative spouse, subject to the qualifications in California Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60. A putative spouse is someone who believed in good faith that the marriage to the decedent was valid.
A personal representative may also assert the claim on behalf of qualifying successors in circumstances permitted by California law. Eligibility depends on the statutory categories, the claimant’s relationship to the decedent, financial dependency, household circumstances, and whether other beneficiaries survive. A close personal relationship alone doesn’t automatically establish the right to sue.
Wrongful Death of a Child Caused by a Dangerous Product
When a child dies in an incident involving a dangerous product that parents believed was safe, the product, warnings, and circumstances of use require careful investigation. While no amount of money can replace the loss of a child, legal action may provide a means to pursue accountability from a responsible manufacturer or other company.
Investigating Dangerous Children’s Products
At Shoop | A Professional Law Corporation, we evaluate potential design defects, manufacturing problems, inadequate warnings or instructions, recalls, and information concerning known hazards in child-product cases.
Products commonly associated with child wrongful death cases include:
- Drop-side cribs
- Walkers
- Sleep positioners
- Baby co-sleepers
- Crib tents
- Crib bumpers
Parents and caregivers should preserve the product, packaging, instructions, warnings, purchase records, photographs, videos, medical records, and communications concerning the incident. The availability and value of a child wrongful death claim depend on the evidence and the California legal standards applicable to the facts.
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Great resource for all things product liability, personal injury, wrongful death, and many more areas of law.- Evan G.
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Mr. Alch was my attorney and he was very open and honest about what was going on and what was to come next!- Nicole H.
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They are wonderful and very caring human beings- Alison G.
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Tom was extremely professional, kept me informed on timelines and steps along the way.- Tim W.
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Everyone I dealt with was super friendly, patient, informed, and professional.- Enrique F.
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Extremely competent law firm.- Former Client
Protect Your Right to Pursue a Wrongful Death Claim
The statute of limitations limits the amount of time you have to file your claim. California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 generally provides two years for an action involving death caused by a wrongful act or neglect, but exceptions and claim-specific rules may apply. Claims involving a public entity can require earlier notice and different procedures, so families shouldn’t assume the general deadline controls their case.
A prompt consultation can help identify potentially responsible companies, evidence-preservation concerns, available claims, and filing requirements. In a defective-product death case, delays can also affect access to the product, incident scene, electronic records, witness information, and other evidence.
Reasons clients trust us to handle their wrongful death claims:
- We have recovered more than $600 million in verdicts and settlements
- Our clients owe us no legal fee unless we recover compensation
- We prepare complex product liability matters for litigation
- Our clients are provided with complimentary initial consultations
We provide responsive communication and personalized attention throughout the case. Based in Los Angeles, we represent clients in California and nationwide.
No settlement or verdict can replace a loved one, and any recovery depends on the facts, evidence, applicable law, and outcome of the case. We can evaluate the circumstances without charging for the initial consultation and explain the next steps available to your family.
Contact Shoop | A Professional Law Corporation today to discuss your claim during a complimentary consultation, or call (866) 884-1717.
Our Results
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$30m Product Liability Verdict -
$24m Wrongful Death Settlement -
$14m Medical Device Settlement -
$13.5m Personal Injury -
$12m Child Wrongful Death