Opinion ID: 2184910
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Rights of Individual Heir's

Text: Appellants also argue that it was error for the trial court to dismiss the complaint because Ramona filed suit in both her capacity as an administrator and as an individual heir at law. This argument fails for two reasons. First, this court has held that an individual may not file suit where a personal representative has been appointed. Pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 16-62-102(b) (1987), every wrongful-death action must be brought by and in the name of the personal representative. See also Brewer, 301 Ark. 358, 784 S.W.2d 156. The wrongful-death code does not create an individual right in any beneficiary to bring suit. Id. (citing Cude v. Cude, 286 Ark. 383, 691 S.W.2d 866 (1985)). Moreover, where no personal representative has been appointed, a wrongful-death suit must be filed with all of the statutory beneficiaries joined as parties to a suit. Ramirez v. White Cty. Cir. Ct., 343 Ark. 372, 38 S.W.3d 298 (2001); Thompson v. Southern Lbr. Co., 113 Ark. 380, 168 S.W. 1068 (1914). This rule dates back to this court's decision in McBride v. Berman, 79 Ark. 62, 94 S.W. 913 (1906). There, the court stated, [t]hat in default of a personal representative an action brought under Lord Campbell's Act must make the widow (if there be one) and the heirs at law parties thereto. Id. at 65, 94 S.W. at 914. Like the appellant in Ramirez , Appellants here argue that under this court's decision in Murrell v. Springdale Mem. Hosp., 330 Ark. 121, 952 S.W.2d 153 (1997), an individual heir at law may bring suit for wrongful death even when there are other heirs at law. In Murrell , the widower filed suit as the surviving spouse and subsequently took a voluntary nonsuit. There were also three surviving children. The widower refiled the lawsuit as the personal representative of the estate and as the surviving spouse. The widower died and the couple's son was appointed successor administrator. This court held that the widower's action for wrongful death of his wife did not survive his death, and that the children's claims were barred by the statute of limitation because they were not parties to the first action. In reaching this conclusion, however, we erroneously stated that a complaint filed by an individual heir was appropriately brought according to Ark.Code Ann. § 16-62-102(b). Id. at 124, 952 S.W.2d at 155. We clarified this statement in Ramirez, 343 Ark. 372, 38 S.W.3d 298, expressly holding that where there is no personal representative, any action for wrongful death shall be brought by all the heirs at law of the deceased. Accordingly, Ramona would have no standing to bring an individual claim for the wrongful death of Moore. In sum, any argument that Appellants were authorized to pursue a wrongful-death action pro se is without merit. Thus, we must next determine whether the filing of the pro se complaint constituted the unauthorized practice of law.