Losing a loved one is never easy. That would be especially true if your loss came as a result of someone else’s neglect. Having someone you trust take actions or omit duties that led to the death of a family member: It is the exact type of thing you would never expect to happen to you. Unfortunately, you are at risk for this exact tragedy when do you put your aging parents or grandparents into New Mexico nursing homes.
It would be little consolation, but a successful wrongful death lawsuit could potentially help you handle some of the unexpected costs of such an event. To obtain monetary compensation for your loss, you would probably have to pursue one of two strategies, either persuading a court to rule in your favor or securing a settlement before a formal decision.
Settlements and court decisions are different, but the discrepancy would be of most concern to the person you would be suing. From a negligent nursing home’s perspective, an unofficial settlement might be more attractive than a highly public court decision against the company. Since your civil process would involve some negotiations, it is unlikely that there would be a large monetary amount difference between settlement agreements and damages a court awarded you.
Nursing home death cases could be somewhat different than others, in that they almost exclusively involve the elderly. It is controversial, but, as mentioned on FindLaw, you might expect a different level of compensation for the loss of an elderly person.
Many times, a wrongful death lawsuit would be only one aspect of a comprehensive legal strategy to get justice for the wrongs your loved one suffered. You would likely need to look at every aspect of your case in order to find out which civil charges you would be able to bring. Of course, every situation is unique, so please do not regard this as legal advice. It is only meant to inform you.