In Massachusetts law, any civil recovery for the wrongful death of an individual is governed by the terms and conditions of a comprehensive state statute, which is set forth in the General Laws in Chapter 229.
Brister & Zandrow, LLP has litigated many cases with wrongful death claims pursuant to this statute. One of the leading cases is Hallett v. Wrentham, 398 Mass. 550, 499 N.E.2d 1189 (1986), which discusses the effect of the Massachusetts death statute on common law consortium claims brought by the decedent's surviving spouse and children. Another key wrongful death case in which Leonard F. Zandrow was counsel is O'Connor v. Raymark Industries, Inc., 401 Mass. 586, 518 N.E.2d 510 (1988), one of the most frequently cited appellate decisions in Massachusetts tort law for its discussion of causation standards. Additional reported decisions involving death claims and counsel with the firm include Caccavale v. Raymark Industries, Inc., 404 Mass. 93, 533 N.E.2d 1345 (1989), an asbestos exposure case, and Gage v. Westfield, 16 Mass. App. Ct. 681, 532 N.E.2d 62 (1988), which involved the question of liability to trespassers.
