Do all wrongful death cases settle out of court?

No, not all wrongful death cases settle out of court. This is because some parties involved in a wrongful death case may not be willing to negotiate and come to a settlement agreement. Depending on the circumstances, the cause of the wrongful death, and other relevant information, the parties in a wrongful death case may decide to take their case to court. In Washington, wrongful death is governed by the Wrongful Death Act. This law allows the surviving family members of a deceased person to file a civil lawsuit against the person or entity responsible for the death. If a wrongful death case goes to court, the court may decide to award the deceased’s family members damages, including economic and non-economic damages such as lost wages, pain and suffering, and funeral costs, among others. Sometimes, even if both parties are willing to negotiate, some wrongful death cases can still end up in court. This can happen if the parties cannot reach an agreement on how much compensation should be provided and what elements should be included in the settlement. Also, if either party feels that the outcome of the negotiations will not be fair, they may choose to take their case to court in order to get an objective and fair resolution. In short, while some wrongful death cases do settle out of court, not all wrongful death cases are resolved this way. If either party is not willing to negotiate or if the parties cannot agree on terms, the case may end up going to court.

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