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Sunset West Legal Group, PC represents families across Los Angeles and California after the death of a loved one caused by another’s negligence. The firm has recovered over $150 million for injured and bereaved clients. Founding partner Payton Kashani brings both a wrongful death claim for the family and a survival action for the estate, the approach that recovers the most. We work on a no win, no fee basis and offer free, private consultations. Available 24/7. Hablamos Español.
Losing someone to another’s negligence is a grief no settlement can undo. What the law can do is hold the responsible party accountable and secure your family’s financial future. That is the work we take on, so you can focus on each other.
We handle every communication with the insurer, preserve the evidence before it disappears, and build the claim with care and precision. You are never rushed, and you are never treated as a case number.
Over $150 million recovered. More than 200 five-star reviews. No fee unless we win. Available 24/7. Hablamos Español.
A wrongful death claim rests on four elements, and the family must prove each one to recover.
Negligence means the death was caused, in whole or in part, by the reckless, careless, or negligent actions of the responsible party.
Breach of duty means that party owed the deceased a duty of care and failed it. A driver owes a duty to drive safely and obey traffic law. A doctor owes a duty to protect a patient’s health.
Causation connects the two: the family must show that the breach actually caused the death.
Damages means the death produced measurable losses, from medical and funeral costs to lost income, lost guidance, and the loss of companionship.
California’s wrongful death statute, Code of Civil Procedure §377.60, sets a strict order of who may file. The surviving spouse or domestic partner, the children, and the children of any deceased child come first. Where there is no surviving spouse or issue, the right can pass to those who would inherit under California’s intestate succession rules, which may include dependent parents.
The statute requires eligible heirs to bring a single, joint action rather than filing separately. The recovery is then divided among them. Identifying everyone with standing, and bringing the claim correctly, is one of the first things we do.
A wrongful death claim compensates the family for their own losses. A survival action is a separate claim, brought under Code of Civil Procedure §377.30 on behalf of your loved one’s estate, and it recovers what the deceased personally lost between the moment of injury and death, such as medical expenses and lost earnings in that period.
Both claims usually belong in the same lawsuit. Filing them together is what maximises your family’s total recovery, and it is a step general practitioners often overlook.
California generally allows two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim, under Code of Civil Procedure §335.1. That window is shorter in medical malpractice cases and in other special circumstances.
If a government entity may be responsible, the deadline is far shorter. A claim against a public body must usually be filed within six months. Speaking to a lawyer early protects your right to recover.
The damages available to survivors include the financial support your loved one would have provided, the value of lost household services, funeral and burial costs, and the loss of their care, companionship, and guidance. The estate’s survival action adds the medical expenses and lost earnings the deceased incurred before death.
Fatal collisions arise most often in car accidents, truck accidents, and motorcycle accidents. Whatever the cause, we work with economists and other experts to prove the full lifetime value of what your family has lost.
Sunset West Legal Group has recovered over $150 million for clients across California. Founding partner Payton Kashani has been licensed in California since 2012 and named to Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars list every year from 2018 to 2022. Attorney Josh Teller supports the firm’s cases and holds Rising Stars recognition for 2025 and 2026.
We advise you at every step, negotiate firmly with the insurer, and try the case before a jury when that is what fair compensation requires.
Your consultation is free and confidential, and you pay nothing unless we win. Our team is available 24/7 to listen and explain your options, with no pressure and no obligation.
Get your free consultation · Call us any time · Hablamos Español
At Sunset West Legal Group, we understand that every injury case is different. We have recovered millions for our clients by advising them on the next steps, negotiating on their behalf with powerful insurance companies, and even representing clients in court in front of a jury. Your free consultation is the first step in letting us help you get the justice and compensation you deserve.
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Not directly, in most cases – and this surprises many families. California law generally doesn’t allow punitive damages in a standalone wrongful death claim, except in the rare case where the death resulted from a homicide and the defendant was convicted of a felony. Punitive damages are instead pursued through the separate survival action brought on your loved one’s behalf, and only if the conduct involved malice, oppression, or fraud. This is one of the reasons we bring both claims together whenever the facts support it, rather than filing only the wrongful death action on its own.
Yes. California law sets a specific order for who can bring a wrongful death claim, and it doesn’t stop at a spouse or children. Where there’s no surviving spouse or child, the right generally passes to those who would inherit under California’s intestate succession rules, which can include dependent parents. If you lost an adult child who didn’t have a spouse or children of their own, you are not shut out of this claim. Identifying everyone with the legal right to be part of it is one of the first things we sort out.
It doesn’t automatically block the claim, but it does need to be handled correctly. California requires all eligible family members to be part of a single, joint wrongful death action rather than filing separately. If someone disagrees with pursuing it, or can’t be located, there are ways to move the case forward – an unwilling heir can sometimes be named as a nominal party so the case can proceed, and reasonable efforts to locate someone missing are generally enough to satisfy the requirement. Every family situation here is different, so this is worth raising with us early rather than assuming it stops the claim.
No to both, and this is a barrier some families assume exists when it doesn’t. Immigration status generally cannot be used to reduce or block a wrongful death recovery in California. And the claim isn’t limited to lost income. Even if your loved one wasn’t employed at the time, your family can still recover for the household services they provided, the loss of their care, companionship and guidance, and funeral and burial costs. Don’t let either of these assumptions keep you from finding out what your family may be owed.
No. California’s collateral source rule generally means that payments from an independent source, like life insurance, are not deducted from what the at-fault party owes your family. The person or company responsible for the death doesn’t get a discount because your family had the foresight to carry life insurance. These are treated as separate matters, and we don’t want that worry sitting on top of everything else you’re already carrying.
WHY YOU NEED US NOW
I am very pleased by his work ethic and professionalism.
“I met and became acquainted with Mr. Kashani after my previous attorney was not capable of continuing my case to a trial. Mr. Kashani was able to step in and not only settle my case before trial, but he was able to secure a much larger settlement for me. I would certainly recommend him to my friends and family”
Los Angeles, CA - Car Accident
I am very pleased by his work ethic and professionalism.
“I met and became acquainted with Mr. Kashani after my previous attorney was not capable of continuing my case to a trial. Mr. Kashani was able to step in and not only settle my case before trial, but he was able to secure a much larger settlement for me. I would certainly recommend him to my friends and family”
Los Angeles, CA - Car Accident
I am very pleased by his work ethic and professionalism.
“I met and became acquainted with Mr. Kashani after my previous attorney was not capable of continuing my case to a trial. Mr. Kashani was able to step in and not only settle my case before trial, but he was able to secure a much larger settlement for me. I would certainly recommend him to my friends and family”
Los Angeles, CA - Car Accident
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