Even the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys in Orlando have trouble answering this question for their clients who are filing wrongful death suites. Valuation is not a legal determination but rather is something that is decided by a jury and therefore it is almost impossible for even the best attorneys to know within any reasonable degree of accuracy just how much a given wrongful death case is worth. There are no laws or statutes that an attorney can reference to even make an educated guess. The only thing that laws and statutes can do is provide descriptions and definitions of who can actually sue for wrongful death and what survivors have available to them in terms of the category of damages consistent with their case.
This does not mean, however, that they attorneys can’t reference other similar cases to give survivors an idea of what they may be able to expect should they win their case. Attorneys typically will consult one another or reference certain verdict reports in order to provide at least a ballpark figure but these are, of course, only their opinions based on what judgments have been handed down in the past.
The reason that most attorneys do not like to even try to make an educated guess about what their client’s wrongful death case may be worth is that it is in essence an attempt at determining the value of a human life in monetary terms. To the loved ones of the deceased, there is no amount of money that can be attached to the one they’ve lost yet it is one of the most common questions asked by clients in such cases. Family members who file wrongful death lawsuits should always consult their attorneys for advise on how to proceed with their case but should not necessarily expect to be provided with a firm amount when inquiring about the value of that case.
