Wrongful Death Expert Services in Colorado

KWVRS Editorial Team. Last updated 2026-10-12.

KWVRS provides wrongful death vocational, life care planning, and forensic economic analysis for attorneys handling cases in Colorado.

Overview

Wrongful death cases quantify the economic loss to survivors and the estate resulting from a decedent's death, most commonly as lost earnings, lost fringe benefits, lost household services, and lost personal services or guidance. The vocational component reconstructs the decedent's pre-death earning capacity; the economic component reduces projected losses to present value net of personal consumption.

Vocational and economic impact

For a decedent, the vocational component reconstructs earning capacity at the time of death using education, training, work history, industry trajectories, and labor market data. In some jurisdictions, a claimant spouse's earning capacity is also evaluated where household services or income contributions are at issue.

Damages typically include lost earnings and earning capacity across the decedent's worklife, lost fringe benefits, lost household services, and in some jurisdictions loss of personal consortium, care, guidance, and advice. Projections are reduced to present value using appropriate discount rates and net of personal consumption.

Colorado courts and expert standards

Wrongful Death matters in Colorado are litigated in the state's trial courts, with vocational, life care planning, and economic testimony evaluated under Colorado's expert evidence standard. KWVRS prepares reports and testimony that account for these requirements.

Where these cases are heard

District Court - Civil cases in any amount, domestic relations, criminal, juvenile, probate and mental health cases
County Court - Limited jurisdiction; civil cases up to $25,000, misdemeanors, traffic

Highest court: Colorado Supreme Court. Federal venues: D. Colo.

Sources: Colorado Judicial Branch, Trial Courts by County: district courts hear civil cases in any amount, as well as domestic relations, criminal, juvenile, probate and mental health cases; county courts handle civil cases under $25,000, misdemeanors and traffic infractions; water courts have exclusive jurisdiction over water matters; Denver County's probate and juvenile courts; the Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court, the court of last resort (reviewed 2026-10-12); Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, courts and court procedure: the county court has concurrent original jurisdiction with the district court in civil actions in which the debt, damage or value of the personal property claimed does not exceed $25,000, and no civil jurisdiction except that specifically conferred upon it by law (reviewed 2026-10-12); Colorado Judicial Branch, Denver District Court: Denver's judicial district is not a combined court; its county, district, probate and juvenile courts are constitutionally separate courts (reviewed 2026-10-12); Colorado Judicial Branch, Denver Probate Court: exclusive jurisdiction over probate, estates, guardians and conservators and the adjudication of the mentally ill, in Denver County only (reviewed 2026-10-12); Colorado Judicial Branch, Denver Juvenile Court: a separate trial court serving the City and County of Denver, whose juvenile cases include adoptions, child custody and child support; paternity cases are filed there (reviewed 2026-10-12)

Attorney guides for wrongful death cases

Other case types in Colorado

Frequently Asked Questions

What is personal consumption and why is it deducted?

Personal consumption is the portion of the decedent's earnings that would have been spent on the decedent's own maintenance rather than provided to survivors. It is deducted so that damages reflect the net economic loss to the survivors, consistent with standard forensic economic practice.

How is lost earning capacity projected for a decedent who had not yet entered the workforce?

For young decedents or those with limited earnings history, economists use education-based and demographic-based earnings tables from Census/CPS data, applied to an expected career path consistent with the decedent's documented abilities and plans.

Are lost household services compensable in wrongful death cases?

In most jurisdictions, yes. Lost household services are valued using time-use survey data and local market wage rates for equivalent services such as childcare, home maintenance, meal preparation, and transportation.

What discount rate is applied to wrongful death damages?

Forensic economists apply discount rates drawn from Treasury yields matched to the projection horizon, often in a net discount rate framework that also accounts for expected wage growth. Jurisdiction-specific rules may apply.

References

Ready to Get Started on wrongful death cases in Colorado?

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