Opinion ID: 1867637
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Nature of the claims

Text: ¶ 179 The lead opinion chooses to overrule Maurin based in large part on what it asserts to be the well-established distinction between claims for predeath noneconomic damages and postdeath noneconomic damages. Lead op., ¶ 16. This distinction has no relevance to the question Maurin decided which is, simply stated: whether the legislature intended to limit the recovery of noneconomic damages for an occurrence of medical malpractice to one global cap. Maurin, 274 Wis.2d 28, ¶ 22, 682 N.W.2d 866. ¶ 180 In order to re-examine that question, it is important to keep in mind that a claim for wrongful death did not exist at common law; it is a claim for relief that was created entirely by statute. Weiss v. Regent Props., Ltd., 118 Wis.2d 225, 230, 346 N.W.2d 766 (1984) (citing Krantz v. Harris, 40 Wis.2d 709, 714, 162 N.W.2d 628 (1968)). The claim belongs to the beneficiaries of the deceased and was designed to compensate for the loss of the relational interest existing between the beneficiaries and the decedent. Weiss, 118 Wis.2d at 230, 346 N.W.2d 766 (citing Wurtzinger v. Jacobs, 33 Wis.2d 703, 709-10, 148 N.W.2d 86 (1967)). When the legislature created the claim for wrongful death, it limited who may sue for it; who may own the proceeds of the claim; and what damages may be recovered. Weiss, 118 Wis.2d at 230-31, 346 N.W.2d 766. ¶ 181 A claim for the deceased's predeath pain and suffering passes to the deceased's estate at death, and can be brought by the personal representative as part of his wrongful death action. Schwab v. Nelson, 249 Wis. 563, 568, 25 N.W.2d 445 (1946). Under the wrongful death statute, the legislature has established a maximum amount that can be recovered for the death, no matter how many beneficiaries are entitled to share in the recovery. Wis. Stat. § 895.04(3) and (4). In a wrongful death action, recovery for a claimed relational injury is not automatic, but rather, the amount of damages must be proved by each survivor claiming an interest. Keithley v. Keithley, 95 Wis.2d 136, 138, 289 N.W.2d 368 (Ct.App.1980). Wrongful death damages are not a part of the decedent's estate, to be divided simply based on a biological relationship to the decedent. Id. When the death is not caused by medical malpractice, the only limit is that set out in § 895.04(4). ¶ 182 However, the claim for wrongful death is entirely a creature of the legislature, as are the limits on recovery of noneconomic damages due to medical malpractice. The legislature has shown these classifications are linked by responding to an earlier decision of this court wherein we concluded that the caps on the recovery of noneconomic damages arising from medical malpractice caps did not apply to wrongful death claims. Jelinek v. St. Paul Fire & Cas. Ins. Co., 182 Wis.2d 1, 14, 512 N.W.2d 764 (1994). The legislature amended Wis. Stat. § 893.55(4) to overrule Jelinek. Accordingly, as the wrongful death claim, the caps on wrongful death recovery and the caps on the recovery of noneconomic damages based on proven medical malpractice all are creatures of the legislature, it is reasonable to conclude, as we did in Maurin, that the legislature limited plaintiffs who have claims arising from an occurrence of medical malpractice to one global cap on the recovery of all noneconomic damages. That is, stacking of caps for the recovery of noneconomic damages is precluded by statute. Maurin, 274 Wis.2d 28, ¶ 22, 682 N.W.2d 866.