Wrongful Death Verdicts for Minor Children: A Large Sex Based Difference in Verdicts

In wrongful death cases, the size of jury verdicts has always tilted in favor of men, which is why many argued that caps on non-economic damages are sexually discriminatory.

In a recent study, Jury Verdict Research offers a different conclusion when comparing compensation in wrongful death claims between minor females and minor males. The median wrongful death of minor females is $1,912,349 but the median award for the wrongful death of minor males is $1,500,000. This gap increases when looking at average wrongful death verdicts. Minor females average $8,648,036 in wrongful death cases compared to an average of $3,173,360 for males.

I can’t explain this data or offer a reason for it.