Ca. Code of Civil Procedure § 377.60 provides that only specific family members, or the personal representative of the decedent, can bring a wrongful death suit following the death of a loved one. In most cases, the individuals who file wrongful death suits are surviving spouses or domestic partners, or surviving children or the grandchildren of children who are deceased. If no immediate relatives exists, more distant relatives who would inherit property from the deceased as a result of intestate succession, or situations in which the deceased has no will.