Who Do I Sue?
In wrongful death and survival lawsuits, the defendants are typically the companies and people that caused the death.
Examples of wrongful death defendants include:
- product manufacturers
- drug and pharmaceutical companies
- property owners
- contractors at a worksite
- oil companies
- factories, plants, and refineries
- 18 wheeler trucking companies
- common carriers such as airlines, bus companies, and train companies
- stores and online retailers
Multiple Defendants
The proper defendants in a wrongful death lawsuit may not be obvious at first glance. For example, you may not be aware that a contractor had partial responsibility for ensuring your loved one’s worksite was safe. Or you may not know, for instance, that the entity that sold the dangerous product or drug is just as responsible for your loved one’s death as the manufacturer.
In many cases, multiple parties cause or contribute to the death of a loved one. All of them may bear some responsibility, and under the law you may be entitled to separate compensation from each and every one.
Further, most states permit the judge or jury to allocate fault among several defendants. For example, in a workplace death case, a property owner may be held 50 percent responsible for the fatal accident, while a contractor may be found responsible for the other 50 percent. If the jury awards $1 million in that scenario, each defendant may be required to pay $500,000.
Time Is of the Essence: Contact an Attorney Now to Identify the Proper Defendants
Many states have legal deadlines to file claims. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to file a lawsuit against one defendant, conduct “discovery” to ascertain the other parties responsible, then add those additional parties as defendants.
Because of the deadlines, it is imperative to quickly identify all persons and entities that have liability for a wrongful death claim.
Please contact the Texas wrongful death lawyers at Morrow & Sheppard as quickly as possible. You are entitled to a 100% free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights.
Common Questions
- What Should I Do Right Now?
- Why Do I Need To Act Fast?
- Should I Sign Anything Or Give A Statement?
- I Don’t Live In Texas. What Should I Do?
- Will My Case Settle?
- I Don’t Know If I Can Afford A Lawsuit – How Much Does It Cost?
- What About Doctors & Medical Bills?
- What If My Employer Finds Out?
- What Is a Personal Injury?
- What is the Purpose of a Personal Injury Claim?
- What Will My Personal Injury Claim Be Worth?
- What Compensation Will I Be Entitled to Receive?
- Do All Personal Injury Cases Go to Trial?
- Personal Injury Negligence
- What Is Personal Injury Negligence?
- What Must Be Shown In A Personal Injury Negligence Case?
- Who Owes You A Negligence Duty?
- Does An Employer Have Special Duties?
- What Damages Can I Recover In A Personal Injury Negligence Lawsuit?
- How Long Do I Have To File A Personal Injury Negligence Lawsuit?
- What Are Examples Of Personal Injury Negligence Lawsuits?
- No Fee Promise
- Do I Really Need a Personal Injury Attorney?
- Who Has Claims For Wrongful Death?
- What Is The Jones Act?
- What Is The Death On The High Seas Act?
- Who Is A Jones Act Seaman?
- About Other Wrongful Death Actions
- How Long Do I Have To Pursue A Jones Act Claim?
- What Jones Act Damages Can I Recover?
- Who Can I Sue Under the Jones Act?
- What Is Jones Act Negligence?
- What Are Examples of Jones Act Cases?
- Maritime Law & Unseaworthiness
- Maritime Injury Lawyer Rules
- What Evidence Matters In 18 Wheeler Trucking Or Commercial Vehicle Accidents?
- Who Is Responsible For My 18 Wheeler Or Commercial Vehicle Accident?
- What Legal Claims Am I Entitled To Bring?
- How Common Are 18 Wheeler Truck And Commercial Vehicle Accidents? Why Are They Significant?
- What Kind Of Commercial Trucks Are There?
- Are There Special Inspection Requirements For 18 Wheeler Trucks And Commercial Vehicles?
- What Are Common Causes Of 18 Wheeler Truck And Commercial Vehicle Accidents?
- Inadequately Trained Or Unqualified Drivers
- Improper Maintenance & Inspection
- Driver Fatigue
- Poor Route Planning
- Failure To Properly Secure Cargo
- Specific Issues Involving Vocational Trucks
- Hazardous Materials & Oversized Loads
- Distracted Truck Drivers
- Braking & Tire Issues
- Speeding
- Weather Conditions
- Alcohol and Drugs
- What Oilfields Are Active In Texas?
- What Is Shale?
- What Is Hydraulic Fracturing Or “Fracking”?
- What Does The Texas Railroad Commission Have To Do With Oil & Gas?
- What Is The Barnett Shale?
- What Is The Eagle Ford Shale?
- What Is The Granite Walsh Formation?
- What Is The Haynesville Shale?
- What Is The Permian Basin?
- How Many Oilfield Accidents Have There Been In Texas?
- Do I Have A “Strict Liability” Products Personal Injury Claim?
- What Goes Into A Products Liability Claim?
- What Is A Product Defect?
- What Kinds of Product Defects Are There?
- What If There Have Been Other Accidents Involving The Same Product
- Do I Have To Prove Negligence In A Products Liability Case?
- What Is A Product Recall?
- What If The Product Cannot Be Traced Back To The Manufacturer?
- Who Are The Defendants In A Products Liability Case?
- Do I Have Any Other Claims?
- What Damages Can I Recover?
- What Are Examples Of Industrial Accidents?
- What Is OSHA?
- What Rights Do Workers Have Under OSHA?
- What Are The Most Common OSHA Violations?
- What Is The Chemical Safety Board?
- How Old Are Most Refineries? What Condition Are They In?
- What Refineries Are Active In Texas? Have They Had Safety Incidents?
- Incidents At Alon’s Big Spring Refinery
- Incidents At Calumet’s San Antonio Refinery
- Incidents At Citgo’s Corpus Christi Refinery
- Incidents At Delek’s Tyler Refinery
- Incidents At ExxonMobil’s Baytown Refinery
- Incidents At ExxonMobil’s Beaumont Refinery
- Incidents At Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi Refinery
- Incidents At Lyondell’s Houston Refinery
- Incidents At Marathon’s Galveston Bay Refinery
- Incidents At Marathon’s Texas City Refinery
- Incidents At Petrobras’s Pasadena Refinery
- Incidents At Shell’s Deer Park Refinery
- Incidents At The Motiva Port Arthur Refinery
- Incidents At The Valero Port Arthur Refinery
- Incidents At Total’s Port Arthur Refinery
- Incidents At Valero’s Bill Greehey East & West Refineries
- Incidents At Valero’s Houston Refinery
- Incidents At Valero’s McKee Refinery In Sunray, Texas
- Incidents At Valero’s Texas City Refinery
- Incidents At Valero’s Three Rivers Refinery
- Incidents At Western Refining’s El Paso Refinery