Wrongful Death Economic Damages Expert in Idaho

By Christopher Skerritt, M.Ed., MBA, Chief of Economic Services · Published · Reviewed

KW Economics prepares economic damages analyses for wrongful death cases venued in Idaho: the components the loss claim consists of, the records that drive them, and a present value built to Idaho's damages rules and venues. Plaintiff and defense.

A wrongful death economic claim measures what the decedent would have contributed to the household over an expected life: earnings and benefits net of personal consumption, household services, and support to each dependent, reduced to present value under the framework counsel identifies. Read the full wrongful death analysis guide.

Idaho courts and expert standards

Idaho courts ask whether the economist is qualified by training and experience and whether the opinion rests on a reliable basis, examining the facts and method behind it without adopting the federal reliability test outright. A damages report meets that inquiry by tying each input to the record and identifying the source of every rate and table.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Idaho Supreme Court. Federal venues: D. Idaho. Court system: isc.idaho.gov.

Outside the civil courts, wage-loss disputes in workers' compensation matters proceed before the Idaho Industrial Commission.

Damages framework

Idaho pairs a wrongful death action for the heirs' losses with a survival action in which the estate recovers the decedent's pre-death economic losses but not pain and suffering. Awards are reduced after verdict by collateral-source payments other than those with a right of subrogation and certain federal and life insurance benefits, recovery is barred once the plaintiff's fault equals or exceeds the defendants', and prejudgment interest is generally limited to liquidated sums.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a wrongful death case venued in Idaho; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Establish the decedent's earnings and fringe benefit base from the tax, wage, and benefit records.
  2. Project the base over a worklife expectancy with a stated wage growth rate.
  3. Deduct personal consumption from published household expenditure data and add household services and support to each dependent over its period.
  4. Discount every future stream to present value at a stated rate and show the sensitivity of the total to the contested assumptions.

Attorney guides for wrongful death cases

Other case types in Idaho

Frequently asked: wrongful death cases in Idaho

Which Idaho courts hear wrongful death cases?

Wrongful Death cases venued in Idaho are heard in the District Court (General jurisdiction; larger civil cases, felonies, domestic relations, probate). Final appeals run to the Idaho Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho.

How does Idaho's damages framework shape the economic analysis?

Idaho pairs a wrongful death action for the heirs' losses with a survival action in which the estate recovers the decedent's pre-death economic losses but not pain and suffering. Awards are reduced after verdict by collateral-source payments other than those with a right of subrogation and certain federal and life insurance benefits, recovery is barred once the plaintiff's fault equals or exceeds the defendants', and prejudgment interest is generally limited to liquidated sums. Idaho courts ask whether the economist is qualified by training and experience and whether the opinion rests on a reliable basis, examining the facts and method behind it without adopting the federal reliability test outright. A damages report meets that inquiry by tying each input to the record and identifying the source of every rate and table.

More questions about wrongful death analysis

References

Request a consultation on wrongful death cases in Idaho or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.