Claims against the state and municipal government entities are subject to the Oregon Tort Claims Act and in state court are subject to the caps on damages listed in the law.  We currently have a $500,000 cap on non-economic damages on the books (Chap 18, ORS) so if the deceased had no job and no economic damages to speak of the claim isn't worth more than the cap ($500K).  In Federal court you could get greater damages and attorney's fees if you could prove some form of a civil rights violation.  Hard to tell where the potential claim in Bend is headed.