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What are the Key Wrongful Death Cases?
Wrongful death is a civil charge whereby the personal representative or next of kin of the deceased may bring a lawsuit against a party who may have contributed to the death of the deceased. There are several famous wrongful death cases — the most famous being the O.J. Simpson civil trial for the death of Ronald Goldman from 1997, which took place after he was acquitted of his murder. There are other wrongful death cases of note, however, including the Melinda Ducket case, the Brynn Hartman case, and the Ford Pinto case.
In the O.J. Simpson wrongful death case, which was brought by Ronald Goldman’s family, Simpson was found liable for the willful and wrongful death of Ronald Goldman. Though Simpson was already acquitted of Goldman's murder — because the burden of proof is simply a “preponderance of the evidence” in a civil trial as opposed to the “reasonable doubt” standard in criminal trials — it was easier to establish Simpson’s liability than it was to establish guilt in the criminal trial. Further, Simpson’s attorneys did a poor job of refuting the evidence of his DNA at the scene of the crime, and a parade of witnesses who implicated him in Goldman’s death. In the end, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in Goldman’s favor, ordering Simpson to pay in excess of $20 million US dollars (USD) to Goldman’s family.
After appearing on former prosecutor Nancy Grace’s television show and facing aggressive questioning implying that she murdered her own child, Melinda Duckett committed suicide. Duckett’s parents then brought a lawsuit against Grace. The suit alleged that Grace’s implication that Duckett was responsible for the death of her child caused emotional distress leading to her suicide. The case was settled in 2010 with the creation of a $200,000 (USD) trust dedicated to the child, who has never been found.
In 1998, Brynn Hartman made headlines when she shot her husband, comedian Phil Hartman, and then took her own life. Brynn’s brother then sued Pfizer Pharmeceuticals, makers of antidepressant Zoloft®:, which Brynn was taking regularly at the time. The case alleged that the drug drove Hartman to insanity, which caused her to commit the murder/suicide. Like many other wrongful death cases, this one was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
When Ford Motor Company produced millions of Pinto automobiles that had a gas tank defect that resulted in an increased risk of an explosion, there were several wrongful death cases brought against them. The critical piece of evidence was a memo that implicated Ford executives for placing a $200,000 (USD) value on a human life. In the end, they were forced to pay millions of dollars in damages to the families of the deceased.
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![Wrongful death is a civil charge whereby the personal representative or next of kin of the deceased may bring a lawsuit against a party who may have contributed to the death of the deceased.]()
By: CandyBox ImagesWrongful death is a civil charge whereby the personal representative or next of kin of the deceased may bring a lawsuit against a party who may have contributed to the death of the deceased. -
![Wrongful death can leave a lasting impression on relatives of the deceased.]()
By: ckellyphotoWrongful death can leave a lasting impression on relatives of the deceased. -
![Survivors often have feelings of guilt or remorse they didn't do something to prevent the person's death.]()
By: Johan LarsonSurvivors often have feelings of guilt or remorse they didn't do something to prevent the person's death.
Discussion Comments
I think shows like Nancy Grace's are entertainment shows trying to pass themselves off as news programs, and I would have liked to have seen the trial go to court and the family of the girl be awarded millions of dollars, and the show taken off the air.
However, regardless of how distasteful I find the program, no one made the woman go on the show in the first place. That was her choice. And suicide was also her choice, so Nancy Grace and the producers of the show are not guilty of causing a wrongful death.
@Sporkasia - I think wrongful death lawsuits serve several purposes. As you said, a wrongful death verdict can give a family a sense of closure that they may not have gotten from the original trial, as in the O.J. Simpson trial and the Goldman family.
Also, when the defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit is a large company the family members can actually receive a considerable amount of money as mentioned in the Ford Motors case in this article. I know the money will not bring a person back to life, but the money can do a lot to make the lives of the surviving family members bearable, especially when the person who died was the primary money earner.
I remember when the O.J. Simpson case was the chief topic of conversation around the water cooler at work. Actually, there was a time when this seemed to be the chief topic of conversation everywhere you went. I guess this goes without saying, but I have no idea what happened to his ex-wife and Mr. Goldman.
However, I know that there were millions of people who felt that Mr. Simpson was guilty and he got off for the wrong reasons. This being said, I think the wrongful verdict may have given the Goldman family some satisfaction, but as I understand it they never received the money because the defendant was broke. So, I'm not certain how much good the wrongful death verdict served in the long run.
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