Wrongful Death Expert Services in Texas
KWVRS provides wrongful death vocational, life care planning, and forensic economic analysis for attorneys handling cases in Texas.
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.
Texas courts and expert standards
Wrongful Death matters in Texas are litigated in the state's trial courts, with vocational, life care planning, and economic testimony evaluated under Texas's expert evidence standard. KWVRS prepares reports and testimony that account for these requirements.
Where these cases are heard
- District Court - General jurisdiction; civil cases, felonies, domestic relations
- County Court at Law - Statutory county courts; civil cases between $200 and $325,000 (higher in some courts), misdemeanors, and in some counties family law cases
- Constitutional County Court - Civil cases between $200 and $20,000, probate, Class A and B misdemeanors
Highest court: Supreme Court of Texas. Federal venues: N.D. Tex., S.D. Tex., E.D. Tex., W.D. Tex.
Sources: Texas Judicial Branch, Court Structure of Texas (October 2026): the Supreme Court has final appellate jurisdiction in civil and juvenile cases and the Court of Criminal Appeals in criminal cases; the 15th Court of Appeals has statewide jurisdiction; district courts have original jurisdiction in divorce and felony criminal matters; statutory county courts hear civil matters between $200 and $325,000, and some courts may have a higher maximum; constitutional county courts hear civil actions between $200 and $20,000 and probate matters; statutory probate courts are limited primarily to probate, mental health and guardianship matters; justice courts hear civil actions of not more than $20,000 and small claims; the Business Court shares civil jurisdiction with the district courts in certain complex business disputes when the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million, and has no jurisdiction over claims for bodily injury or death (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Judicial Branch, Trial Courts: the district courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction, with original jurisdiction in felony and divorce cases, and most try both criminal and civil cases; constitutional county courts hear Class A and Class B misdemeanors; county courts at law may share jurisdiction with the county and district courts; statutory probate courts sit in the more populated counties; justice courts hear Class C misdemeanors and small claims; municipal courts hear city ordinance violations and Class C misdemeanors (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Judicial Branch, Courts of Appeals: the First through Fourteenth Courts of Appeals hear civil and criminal appeals from district and county courts, each in its own region of the state; the Fifteenth Court of Appeals has statewide civil intermediate appellate jurisdiction (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Business Court, About the Texas Business Court: a statewide, specialized trial court created to resolve certain complex business disputes (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Legislature, Government Code, Business Court: civil jurisdiction concurrent with district courts in listed business actions in which the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, home page: Texas' highest court for criminal cases (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Legislature, Government Code, Statutory County Courts: in some counties, among them Angelina County, a county court at law has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in family law cases and proceedings (reviewed 2026-10-12)
Attorney guides for wrongful death cases
Other case types in Texas
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
- BLS Occupational Employment StatisticsGovernment
- Census Bureau - Current Population SurveyGovernment
- BLS American Time Use SurveyGovernment
- National Center for Health Statistics - Life ExpectancyGovernment
- Texas Judicial Branch, Court Structure of Texas (October 2026): the Supreme Court has final appellate jurisdiction in civil and juvenile cases and the Court of Criminal Appeals in criminal cases; the 15th Court of Appeals has statewide jurisdiction; district courts have original jurisdiction in divorce and felony criminal matters; statutory county courts hear civil matters between $200 and $325,000, and some courts may have a higher maximum; constitutional county courts hear civil actions between $200 and $20,000 and probate matters; statutory probate courts are limited primarily to probate, mental health and guardianship matters; justice courts hear civil actions of not more than $20,000 and small claims; the Business Court shares civil jurisdiction with the district courts in certain complex business disputes when the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million, and has no jurisdiction over claims for bodily injury or death (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Judicial Branch, Trial Courts: the district courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction, with original jurisdiction in felony and divorce cases, and most try both criminal and civil cases; constitutional county courts hear Class A and Class B misdemeanors; county courts at law may share jurisdiction with the county and district courts; statutory probate courts sit in the more populated counties; justice courts hear Class C misdemeanors and small claims; municipal courts hear city ordinance violations and Class C misdemeanors (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Judicial Branch, Courts of Appeals: the First through Fourteenth Courts of Appeals hear civil and criminal appeals from district and county courts, each in its own region of the state; the Fifteenth Court of Appeals has statewide civil intermediate appellate jurisdiction (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Business Court, About the Texas Business Court: a statewide, specialized trial court created to resolve certain complex business disputes (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Legislature, Government Code, Business Court: civil jurisdiction concurrent with district courts in listed business actions in which the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, home page: Texas' highest court for criminal cases (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Legislature, Government Code, Statutory County Courts: in some counties, among them Angelina County, a county court at law has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in family law cases and proceedings (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
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