Loss of consortium is typically used as an element of damages in personal injury and wrongful death cases when there is a particularly close relationship between the victim and the plaintiff, such as a spousal or parent-child relationship. In a marital context, it most often refers to the loss of sexual intimacy by the plaintiff when a spouse is killed or seriously injured. In a parent-child relationship, loss of consortium generally refers to the loss of love and companionship by either the parent or the child (depending on who the plaintiff is). Loss of consortium claims are particularly difficult to settle out of court.