Seeking damages when a stay-at-home parent wrongfully dies

Wrongful death lawsuits can help certain people to obtain financial compensation and emotional closure after a tragedy. By taking legal action against an individual or business that caused an untimely death, survivors can feel a sense of vindication and can reduce the economic harm the passing causes.

Wrongful death lawsuits frequently include claims for economic damages. Families seek compensation for probate costs, hospital bills and lost wages. Particularly when the decedent was the primary wage earner for the family, their lost income can comprise a significant amount of the compensation sought. Surviving family members may worry about having limited options if the person who died was a stay-at-home parent. Although they worked every day for the family, they did not earn wages for their labor.

How can families secure compensation for the premature passing of a stay-at-home parent in a wrongful death scenario?

By quantifying the value of their labor

While stay-at-home parents don’t receive income, benefits or Social Security credits for the work they perform, their household services nonetheless have a significant economic value. They can improve the family’s overall standard of living by doing various tasks without pay and allowing the other parent to focus on their career.

Researchers estimated years ago in 2019 that a stay-at-home parent provides labor worth almost $180,000 annually. Inflation and increased costs for key services might mean that their contributions to the family home are worth even more than that now. Determining the actual value of a stay-at-home parent’s labor requires documenting what they did for the family.

Families can make a list of the services the deceased parent provided, including child care, laundry services, household management, meal planning, grocery shopping, cleaning, food preparation and transportation. They can then attempt to estimate what those services might cost if they must hire professionals to do the same work.

Determining the economic value of a stay-at-home parent’s work allows families to hold others accountable and secure an appropriate amount of compensation given the losses the family sustained. Discussing a recent tragedy at length with a skilled legal team can help those contemplating a wrongful death lawsuit decide the best path forward.