wrongful death statute

wrongful death statute

Etymology: AS, wrang + death + L, statuere, to place

(in law) a statute existing in all states that provides that the death of a person can give rise to a cause of legal action brought by the person's beneficiaries in a civil suit against the person whose willful or negligent acts caused the death. Before the existence of these statutes, a suit could be brought only if the injured person survived the injury.

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statute (stach´ūt),

n a law enacted and established by a legislative department of government.

statute of frauds,

n a requirement that, for legal validity, contracts for conveying real property or contracts for the performance of personal services requiring a year or more to perform must be in writing.

statute of limitations,

n a statute that sets a time limit within which legal action on certain causes of action must be brought.

statute, wrongful death,

n a statute that provides for the recovery of damages by a party other than the party who received the fatal injuries.