How to run Wrongful Death Damages in DocketMath for Louisiana

Step-by-step

This guide walks you through running Wrongful Death Damages in DocketMath for Louisiana (US-LA) using jurisdiction-aware rules, including Louisiana’s wrongful-death eligibility language in La. Civ. Code art. 2315.2.

Start here: /tools/wrongful-death-damages (Primary CTA)

1) Start a Louisiana wrongful-death run in DocketMath

1. Open DocketMath’s calculator: /tools/wrongful-death-damages
2. Set jurisdiction to Louisiana (US-LA).
3. Confirm the calculator mode is Wrongful Death Damages (not survival damages).

2) Enter the “who can recover” eligibility inputs

Louisiana’s wrongful death eligibility is set out in La. Civ. Code art. 2315.2(A). The statute provides that if a person dies due to the fault of another, suit may be brought by specific classes, including:

• (1) The surviving spouse and child or children, or either the spouse or the child/children
• (2) The surviving father and … (the statute continues with additional eligible persons)

In DocketMath, enter the survivor/claimant group you want to model (e.g., spouse and children; or spouse alone; children alone; parents where applicable). Use the tool’s survivor/claimant section to reflect those classes.

How this affects outputs: DocketMath uses your selected claimant categories to determine what wrongful-death damages are available within the run and (if enabled) how totals are labeled or allocated across claimants.

3) Add case timing inputs (and keep it specific)

Even if DocketMath is focused on damages computation, timing inputs help you keep the scenario coherent—especially for scenario-level structure.

Enter:

• Date of death
• Date of filing (or a target/estimate date for the calculation run, if your workflow uses estimates)

How this affects outputs: Changing date inputs can affect the timing logic used in the model (for example, which periods economic values apply to), and it can change how the tool presents the Louisiana-structured summary.

4) Enter the damages components you want included

Wrongful death damages are typically modeled in discrete buckets (for example, loss of support and related economic impacts—depending on what the DocketMath calculator supports).

In DocketMath:

1. Choose which damages buckets you want the run to include.
2. For each bucket, input the required values, such as:

   • Economic inputs (like support/income-related figures)
   • Any assumptions the bucket requires (like duration/continuation assumptions, where applicable)

How this affects outputs: Each selected bucket contributes to the wrongful-death total. Adjusting a single assumption (for example, annual support) can shift both the relevant component subtotal and the overall grand total.

5) Set allocation/number-of-claimants details

Once you’ve identified which survivor classes are part of the scenario (from La. Civ. Code art. 2315.2(A)), configure allocation settings if the calculator requests them.

Common fields include:

• Number of eligible claimants
• Allocation method (if DocketMath provides a split workflow)

How this affects outputs: Allocation settings can change the distribution numbers across claimants. In many models, the overall total may remain the same, while claimant-level figures differ.

6) Review the Louisiana-structured summary and totals

After you run, DocketMath should show:

• A total wrongful-death damages figure for the run
• A breakdown by component
• Any claimant-level allocation (if enabled)

Quick consistency checks:

• Do your claimant categories match La. Civ. Code art. 2315.2(A) (spouse/children/parents classes as applicable)?
• Are your economic inputs in the correct units (e.g., monthly vs. annual)?
• Do your assumptions align with how you intend to model the scenario (start year vs. duration, etc.)?

7) Export or save the run for iteration

Wrongful death modeling is usually iterative. Use DocketMath’s run/save options (or copy results) so you can:

• Adjust economic assumptions
• Add/remove a damages component
• Modify claimant eligibility inputs

When comparing versions, change only one variable at a time if you want your results to be easier to interpret.

Common pitfalls

Avoid these issues when you run Louisiana wrongful-death damages in DocketMath.

• Missing or incomplete survivor eligibility inputs

  • Eligibility is defined by La. Civ. Code art. 2315.2(A) (including surviving spouse and child/children, either/or variations, and additional classes such as surviving father and others).
  • If your survivor inputs don’t match the statutory classes you intend to model, the scenario may not reflect the statutory structure.

• Mixing wrongful death with survival-type modeling

  • DocketMath’s Wrongful Death Damages calculator is not the same as survival damages.
  • Keep the calculator type aligned with the wrongful death damages you’re modeling.

• Using vague “family presence” assumptions

  • “Family” is too broad for Louisiana’s statutory eligibility structure.
  • Enter specific survivor types you want the model to represent (spouse, children, parents, etc.).

• Forgetting to adjust time-related inputs

  • DocketMath’s timing fields (date of death and date of filing/target) can affect scenario-level structure and the period applied to your inputs.
  • Even if the overall total seems stable, timing fields can influence how the output is computed or presented.

• Assuming a wrongful-death-only deadline rule is embedded in the calculator

  • Important: The information provided for this guide does not identify a claim-type-specific sub-rule for timing as “wrongful-death-only.”
  • Treat any period/timing guidance in DocketMath as scenario-level structure unless your DocketMath configuration explicitly indicates a specific wrongful-death timing rule tied to the facts.

• Assumption drift across iterations

  • When you run multiple scenarios, note what you changed (e.g., only annual support, or only survivor category).
  • Otherwise, it can be difficult to explain why totals moved.

Try it

Use this checklist to run your first US-LA wrongful death scenario end-to-end in DocketMath.

• Set calculator to Wrongful Death Damages
• Set jurisdiction to Louisiana (US-LA)
• Enter survivor/claimant types consistent with La. Civ. Code art. 2315.2(A) (e.g., spouse and child/children; spouse alone or children alone; plus other eligible classes included in the statute as relevant)
• Enter date of death
• Enter date of filing (or the date you’re modeling)
• Select the damages buckets you want included
• Input economic figures using the correct units (monthly vs. annual)
• Review the component breakdown and grand total
• Save the run so you can iterate safely

Open the calculator now: /tools/wrongful-death-damages

Related reading

• How to calculate Wrongful Death Damages in Texas — Full how-to guide with jurisdiction-specific rules
• How to calculate Wrongful Death Damages in Philippines — Full how-to guide with jurisdiction-specific rules
• Worked example: Wrongful Death Damages in Philippines — Worked example with real statute citations