Wrongful Death Lawyer in Chatsworth

Wrongful Death Lawyer Serving Chatsworth and the San Fernando Valley

No amount of money can replace a family member. What a wrongful death claim can do is provide accountability for the loss, and the financial stability your family needs to navigate the future. From our office on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth, Manoukian Law Firm represents grieving families throughout the Valley with sensitivity, patience, and determination.

We handle the entire legal process, the investigation, the paperwork, the insurance negotiations, and if necessary the courtroom, so that the weight of the claim never falls on your family during an already painful time.

What Is a Wrongful Death Claim in California?

A wrongful death claim arises when someone dies as a direct result of another person’s or company’s legal fault. These are the same kinds of incidents that would have been a personal injury case had the victim survived. Our firm handles wrongful death claims stemming from fatal car accidents caused by reckless or intoxicated drivers, deadly truck collisions on Valley freeways, pedestrians and cyclists struck and killed by negligent motorists, fatal falls and unsafe property conditions, defective products, and acts of violence.

The purpose of the claim is twofold: holding the responsible party accountable, and compensating the surviving family for the immense losses they have suffered.

Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in California?

California law limits who may bring a wrongful death claim. First priority belongs to the decedent’s surviving spouse, domestic partner, and children. If no one in that group survives, the law allows others who were financially dependent on the deceased, such as a putative spouse, stepchildren, or parents, to bring the claim. Determining eligibility can be delicate in blended families, and we evaluate your family’s situation carefully and confidentially before anything is filed.

Compensation Your Family Can Recover

A wrongful death action allows eligible family members to seek compensation for the losses they have personally suffered:

• Loss of financial support: the income and benefits your loved one would have provided over their lifetime
• Loss of love and companionship: compensation for the profound loss of love, care, affection, guidance, and community. This is often the most significant part of the claim.
• Funeral and burial expenses: the costs of laying your loved one to rest
• Loss of household services: the value of everything they did for the family, from childcare to home upkeep

In some cases, a separate survival action can also be filed on behalf of the estate to recover damages your loved one incurred before their passing, such as medical bills and lost wages.

How We Support Your Family Through the Process

We know legal action is the last thing on your mind while you are grieving. When you work with our firm, we handle every legal complexity from the initial claim through negotiation or trial, we keep you informed in plain language at every stage, and we never pressure your family toward a fast settlement that undervalues your loss. In most cases, California allows two years from the date of death to file, and some circumstances shorten that window considerably, so a quiet conversation early on protects your family’s options without committing you to anything.

Manoukian Law Firm is a personal injury law firm in Chatsworth serving families throughout the San Fernando Valley, including Northridge, Porter Ranch, Canoga Park, West Hills, Woodland Hills, and Simi Valley. Your consultation is free, confidential, and without obligation, and you pay nothing unless we recover for your family.