Source: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/895/I/043/3
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 20:20:34+00:00

Document:
895.04 Annotation A spouse's claim under sub. (4) for loss of society and companionship is additional to a common law claim for loss of consortium prior to the death of the deceased. Kottka v. PPG Industries, Inc. 130 Wis. 2d 499, 388 N.W.2d 160 (1986).
895.04 Annotation A person who “feloniously and intentionally" kills his or her spouse is not a surviving spouse for purposes of sub. (2) and is treated as having predeceased the decedent. Stienbarth v. Johannes, 144 Wis. 2d 159, 423 N.W.2d 540 (1988).
895.04 Annotation “Pecuniary injury" under sub. (4) includes the loss of any benefit, including social security disability benefits, that a plaintiff would have received from the decedent. Estate of Holt v. State Farm, 151 Wis. 2d 455, 444 N.W.2d 453 (Ct. App. 1989).
895.04 Annotation This section is inapplicable in medical malpractice actions. There is no cause of action in an adult child for the loss of society and companionship of a parent. Dziadosz v. Zirneski, 177 Wis. 2d 59, 501 N.W.2d 828 (Ct. App. 1993).
895.04 Annotation The damage limitation under sub. (4) is inapplicable to medical malpractice actions in which death resulted. Sub. (2) does not prevent a minor from bringing an action for a loss of companionship when malpractice causes a parent's death, including when the decedent is survived by a spouse. Jelinik v. St. Paul Fire & Casualty Ins. Co. 182 Wis. 2d 1, 512 N.W.2d 764 (1994).
895.04 Annotation Although only one parent was the named insured under an uninsured motorist insurance policy paying benefits for the wrongful death of the parents' child, this section requires payment of the proceeds to both parents. Bruflat v. Prudential Property & Casualty Insurance Co. 2000 WI App 69, 233 Wis. 2d 523, 608 N.W.2d 371, 99-2049.
895.04 Annotation Retroactive increases in the statutory damage limits were unconstitutional. Neiman v. American National Property & Casualty Co. 2000 WI 83, 236 Wis. 2d 411, 613 N.W.2d 160, 99-2554. See also Schultz v. Natwick, 2002 WI 125, 257 Wis. 2d 19, 653 N.W.2d 266, 00-0361.
895.04 Annotation The rule that one who claims subrogation rights, whether under the aegis of either legal or conventional subrogation, is barred from any recovery unless the insured is made whole is applicable in wrongful death actions. Wrongful death plaintiffs are entitled to be made whole for their losses, but not more than whole. To the extent that wrongful death plaintiffs receive a portion of damages for expenses they have not incurred after having been made whole, they have been unjustly enriched. Petta v. ABC Insurance Co. 2005 WI 18, 278 Wis. 2d 251, 692 N.W.2d 639, 03-0610.
895.04 Annotation Sub. (4) does not: 1) nullify the state constitutional right to have a jury assess damages under art. I, s. 5; 2) violate separation of powers principles by blurring the boundaries between judicial and legislative branches; 3) violate constitutional equal protection guarantees; and 4) does not violate substantive due process. Maurin v. Hall, 2004 WI 100, 274 Wis. 2d 28, 682 N.W.2d 866, 00-0072. Partially overruled on other grounds. Bartholomew v. Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund, 2006 WI 91, 293 Wis. 2d 38, 717 N.W.2d 26, 04-2592.
895.04 Annotation The jury award of noneconomic damages for pre-death claims, namely the claim for the decedent's pre-death pain and suffering, and the jury award for pre-death loss of society and companionship are governed by the cap set forth in the medical malpractice statutes, s. 893.55, and not the wrongful death statute, this section. Bartholomew v. Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund, 2006 WI 91, 293 Wis. 2d 38, 717 N.W.2d 216, 04-2592.
895.04 Annotation Parents of minor children have separate claims for pre-death and post-death loss of society and companionship, and damages are not capped by the wrongful-death limit. Hegarty v. Beauchaine, 2006 WI App 248, 297 Wis. 2d 70, 727 N.W.2d 857, 04-3252.
895.04 Annotation Under s. 895.01 (1) (o) and sub. (2), a wrongful death claim does not survive the death of the claimant. In a non-medical malpractice wrongful death case, under sub. (2), a new cause of action is available to the next claimant in the statutory hierarchy. In a medical malpractice wrongful death case, eligible claimants under s. 655.007 are not subject to a statutory hierarchy like claimants under sub. (2). However, in a medical malpractice wrongful death case, adult children of the deceased are not listed as eligible claimants and are therefore not eligible because of the exclusivity of s. 655.007, as interpreted in Czapinski. Lornson v. Siddiqui, 2007 WI 92, 302 Wis. 2d 519, 735 N.W.2d 55, 05-2315.
895.04 Annotation Because the legislature modified “children" with “minor" in a different subsection of this section of the statute, the only reasonable interpretation of the legislature's unmodified use of the word “children" in sub. (4) is that the term includes both adult and minor children. Pierce v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company, 2007 WI App 152, 303 Wis. 2d 726, 736 N.W.2d 247, 06-1773.
895.04 Annotation This section does not provide for the recovery of lost inheritance by a party on behalf of a class of heirs. Despite the use of the plural “lineal heirs," the statute clearly contemplates that each relative will, in turn, have the right to bring an action for wrongful death. The use of the plural “heirs" encompasses exactly the situation when two or more heirs in the same tier of succession in the statutory hierarchy bring a wrongful death action together. Estate of Lamers v. American Hardware Mutual Insurance Co. 2008 WI App 165, 314 Wis. 2d 731, 761 N.W.2d 38, 07-2793.
895.04 Annotation A surviving spouse cannot disclaim a wrongful death claim under s. 854.13 so as to pass ownership of that claim to the deceased's lineal heirs. Bowen v. American Family Insurance Company, 2012 WI App 29, 340 Wis. 2d 232, 811 N.W.2d 887, 11-0185.
895.04 Annotation Sub. (4) does not expand the class of claimants who may recover loss of society and companionship damages beyond those who may recover for wrongful death under subs. (1) and (2). Sub. (4) limits the availability of loss of society and companionship damages to certain persons within the class of claimants entitled to bring wrongful death actions. Bowen v. American Family Insurance Company, 2012 WI App 29, 340 Wis. 2d 232, 811 N.W.2d 887, 11-0185.
895.04 Annotation The cause of action authorized under s. 895.03 applies only to deaths caused in Wisconsin. However, Wisconsin courts must allow plaintiffs to sue under another interested state's law when no Wisconsin law provides for the action and Wisconsin has no public policy against recovery. When there is no cause of action under s. 895.03 and another state's wrongful death statute applies, the terms and limitations in s. 895.04 do not apply. Waranka v. Wadena Insurance Company, 2014 WI 28, 353 Wis. 2d 619, 847 N.W.2d 324, 12-0320.
895.04 Annotation “Surviving spouse" in sub. (2) does not always simply mean any living spouse of the deceased. A careful reading of sub. (2) makes it clear that the trial court, in an attempt to protect the children, must work from the amount recovered by the spouse who is charged with the support of the minor children. In order to avoid an absurd, unreasonable result contrary to the legislative purposes of the wrongful death statutes, under the unique facts of this case, s. 895.03 and sub. (2) are construed to allow the minor children to recover even though the deceased's spouse in the instant case is alive and does not recover any damages for the deceased husband's wrongful death. Force v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company, 2014 WI 82, 356 Wis. 2d 582, 850 N.W.2d 866, 12-2402.
895.04 Annotation The discovery rule continues to apply to wrongful death claims in the only way in which it reasonably can: by permitting those claims to accrue on the date the injury is discovered or with reasonable diligence should be discovered by the wrongful death beneficiary, whichever occurs first. Christ v. Exxon Mobil Corporation, 2015 WI 58, 362 Wis. 2d 668, 866 N.W.2d 602, 12-1493.
895.04 Annotation There may not be separate recovery for both an estate and its beneficiaries. Bell v. City of Milwaukee, 746 F.2d 1205 (1984).
895.04 Annotation Expanding and limiting damages for pecuniary injury due to wrongful death. Schoone, 1972 WBB No. 4.
895.04 Annotation Cause of action by parents sustained for loss of society and companionship of child tortiously injured. 1976 WLR 641.
895.043(1)(a) (a) “Defendant" means the party against whom punitive damages are sought.
895.043(1)(b) (b) “Double damages" means those court awards made under a statute providing for twice, 2 times or double the amount of damages suffered by the injured party.
895.043(1)(c) (c) “Plaintiff" means the party seeking to recover punitive damages.
895.043(1)(d) (d) “Treble damages" means those court awards made under a statute providing for 3 times or treble the amount of damages suffered by the injured party.
895.043(2) (2) Scope. This section does not apply to awards of double damages or treble damages, or to the award of exemplary damages under ss. 46.90 (9) (a) and (b), 51.30 (9), 51.61 (7), 55.043 (9m) (a) and (b), 103.96 (2), 134.93 (5), 146.84 (1) (b) and (bm), 153.76, 252.14 (4), 252.15 (8) (a), 610.70 (7) (b), 943.245 (2) and (3) and 943.51 (2) and (3).
895.043(3) (3) Standard of conduct. The plaintiff may receive punitive damages if evidence is submitted showing that the defendant acted maliciously toward the plaintiff or in an intentional disregard of the rights of the plaintiff.
895.043(4)(b) (b) The judge shall submit to the jury a special verdict as to punitive damages or, if the case is tried to the court, the judge shall issue a special verdict as to punitive damages.
895.043(5) (5) Application of joint and several liability. The rule of joint and several liability does not apply to punitive damages.
895.043(6) (6) Limitation on damages. Punitive damages received by the plaintiff may not exceed twice the amount of any compensatory damages recovered by the plaintiff or $200,000, whichever is greater. This subsection does not apply to a plaintiff seeking punitive damages from a defendant whose actions under sub. (3) included the operation of a vehicle, including a motor vehicle as defined under s. 340.01 (35), an off-highway motorcycle, as defined in s. 23.335 (1) (q), a snowmobile as defined under s. 340.01 (58a), an all-terrain vehicle as defined under s. 340.01 (2g), a utility terrain vehicle as defined under s. 23.33 (1) (ng), and a boat as defined under s. 30.50 (2), while under the influence of an intoxicant to a degree that rendered the defendant incapable of safe operation of the vehicle. In this subsection, “intoxicant" has the meaning given in s. 30.50 (4e).

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