Opinion ID: 1553988
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether Burley had standing to file the instant wrongful-death action.

Text: ¶ 9. Burley argues that he was a proper plaintiff to commence and maintain this wrongful-death action because he was judicially determined to be an heir at law and wrongful death beneficiary to the decedents, Jakura Hill and Joshua Hill. [4] Burley additionally argues that he possessed standing via the letters of administration. YVEPA asserts that Burley lacked standing to bring suit, as he was neither the personal representative of the estates of Joshua and Jakura at the time the complaint was filed, nor was he a statutory wrongful-death beneficiary pursuant to Mississippi Code Section 11-7-13. ¶ 10. This Court's analysis of who has standing to bring a wrongful-death action must necessarily begin and end with Mississippi's wrongful-death statute (the Statute), which provides a cause of action to recover for a person's wrongful death caused by the defendant's real, wrongful, or negligent act or omission. Miss.Code Ann. § 11-7-13 (Rev.2004). The Statute creates a new and independent cause of action in favor of those named in the statute. Partyka v. Yazoo Dev. Corp., 376 So.2d 646, 650 (Miss.1979) (citing Hasson Grocery Co. v. Cook, 196 Miss. 452, 459, 17 So.2d 791 (1944)). The Statute provides, in pertinent part, as follows: [T]he action for such damages may be brought in the name of the personal representative of the deceased person or unborn quick child for the benefit of all persons entitled under the law to recover, or by widow for the death of her husband, or by the husband for the death of the wife, or by the parent for the death of a child or unborn quick child, or in the name of a child, or in the name of a child for the death of a parent, or by a brother for the death of a sister, or by a sister for the death of a brother, or by a sister for the death of a sister, or a brother for the death of a brother, or all parties interested may join in the suit, and there shall be but one (1) suit for the same death which shall ensue for the benefit of all parties concerned, but the determination of such suit shall not bar another action unless it be decided on its merits.... [I]n an action brought pursuant to the provisions of this section by the widow, husband, child, father, mother, sister or brother of the deceased or unborn quick child, or by all interested parties, such party or parties may recover as damages property damages and funeral, medical or other related expenses incurred by or for the deceased as a result of such wrongful or negligent act or omission or breach of warranty, whether an estate has been opened or not. Any amount, but only such an amount, as may be recovered for property damage, funeral, medical or other related expenses shall be subject only to the payment of the debts or liabilities of the deceased for property damages, funeral, medical or other related expenses. All other damages recovered under the provisions of this section shall not be subject to the payment of the debts or liabilities of the deceased, except as hereinafter provided, and such damages shall be distributed as follows: [D]amages for the injury and death of a married man shall be equally distributed to his wife and children, and if he has no children all shall go to his wife; damages for the injury and death of a married woman shall be equally distributed to the husband and children, and if she has no children all shall go to the husband; and if the deceased has no husband or wife, the damages shall be equally distributed to the children; if the deceased has no husband, nor wife, nor children, the damages shall be distributed equally to the father, mother, brothers and sisters, or such of them as the deceased may have living at his or her death. If the deceased have neither husband, nor wife, nor children, nor father, nor mother, nor sister, nor brother, then the damages shall go to the legal representative, subject to debts and general distribution, and the fact that the deceased was instantly killed shall not affect the right of the legal representative to recover. Miss.Code Ann. § 11-7-13 (Rev.2004). ¶ 11. The Statute provides three categories of potential wrongful-death claimants who may commence a wrongful-death action. The action may be brought (1) by the personal representative on behalf of the estate and all other persons entitled to recover; (2) by one of the wrongful death beneficiaries [5] on behalf of all persons entitled to recover; or (3) by `all interested parties ....' Long v. McKinney, 897 So.2d 160, 168 (Miss.2004) (emphasis added). Each category of potential wrongful-death claimants has an equal right to initiate the suit. J.J. Newman Lumber Co. v. Scipp, 128 Miss. 322, 91 So. 11 (1922). Therefore, it is useful to define these categories of potential wrongful-death claimants, to the extent possible, and to determine if Burley qualifies as one of them.