wrongful death

Definition of wrongful death

: a death caused by the negligent, willful, or wrongful act, neglect, omission, or default of another

Examples of wrongful death in a Sentence

She filed a wrongful death suit against the hospital, alleging that its negligence led to her daughter's death.

Recent Examples on the Web His mother, Janine, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. — Moss Cohen, CNN, "Dollar General is cheap, popular and spreading across America. It's also a robbery magnet, police say," 26 June 2020 Polanco’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against New York City and a number of Rikers employees. — Mahita Gajanan, Time, "Report: Jail Officials Placed Layleen Polanco in Solitary Confinement Despite Health Concerns, Failed in Duty of Care," 24 June 2020 Taylor's family has named Hankison along with Officers Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove in a wrongful death lawsuit. — NBC News, "1 of 3 Louisville police officers in Breonna Taylor case to be fired, mayor says," 19 June 2020 The mother of a Black man who was killed by an Indianapolis police officer filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the city, its police department, and four officers, including the one who fired the fatal shots. — BostonGlobe.com, "Police detain armed militia members after man is shot at Albuquerque protest," 16 June 2020 The family sued Riverside Country for wrongful death, and the case was settled before trial with a payment of $975,000. — Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, "Why We Are Publishing Video of the Hours Before Phillip Garcia Died in Custody," 16 June 2020 A least 25 of the 32 of the incidents resulted in wrongful death claims against the law-enforcement agencies that collectively cost taxpayers millions of dollars to defend and, in many cases, to settle. — USA Today, "George Floyd's not alone. 'I can’t breathe' uttered by dozens in fatal police holds across U.S.," 13 June 2020 The video, submitted in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in federal district court in Tennessee, is at the heart of another claim that yet another black man needlessly died in custody because of law enforcement misconduct. — Bob Ortega, Nelli Black And Drew Griffin, CNN, "Videos raise question about in-custody death deemed an 'accident' by Tennessee officials," 12 June 2020 But Taylor's family alleged in a wrongful death lawsuit that the officers didn't identify themselves and that Taylor and her boyfriend believed intruders were trying to break in. — Caitlin Conant, CBS News, "2020 Daily Trail Markers: Black faith leaders tackle what's next after George Floyd's death," 12 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wrongful death.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

1 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Wrongful death.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrongful%20death. Accessed 11 Jul. 2020.

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More Definitions for wrongful death

wrongful death

noun

English Language Learners Definition of wrongful death

law : a death caused by someone's mistake or by someone's improper act

See the full definition for wrongful death in the English Language Learners Dictionary

wrongful death

Legal Definition of wrongful death

: a death caused by the negligent, willful, or wrongful act, neglect, omission, or default of another sought damages for the wrongful death of their murdered daughter

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