California does not require you to approve an autopsy to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against an allegedly liable individual, business, or another entity. However, your attorney will likely advise you to consent to an autopsy of your loved one’s body. Autopsies serve as valuable evidence for wrongful death actions because they typically provide a conclusive cause and time of death, helping establish financial liability for your loss.
If the cause of death is clear, you might not need an autopsy. Yet, in cases involving medical malpractice and defective medical devices, autopsies are almost always necessary to establish causation and liability.