The Maryland Court of Special Appeals recently decided a case to provide guidance as to a claim for household services in a wrongful death case.

In a case where a person dies from negligence and the family can prove that he or she provided household services to the family, the jury can award that as part of damages.

There has been some uncertainty as to how to prove these damages. The court came up with a three part test.  First, there have to be domestic services that have a market value ( i.e. cleaning, cooking, household maintenance etc.). Second, there has to be a history that the deceased provided those services, Third, there must be evidence that of the duration that those services would be provided.

The importance of the court decision is that there has to be sufficient and specific evidence to support a household services claim.

If you have lost a loved one due to the medical mistakes of a doctor or hospital, call us at 1-800-299-Hurt.  You can also fill out a contact form on our website.