Lost a loved one in a Rohnert Park accident? A wrongful death lawyer can explain your family’s options

The Law Offices of J. Chrisp helps families in Rohnert Park who have lost a loved one because of someone else’s carelessness. The phone is answered 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477).

The firm has recovered over $350 million for clients since 2010. The sections below explain the firm’s wrongful death results, who can file, how a wrongful death claim differs from a survival action, what a family can recover, how fault is handled, the deadlines and where reports, claims and lawsuits go in Rohnert Park.

Table of Contents

After a family member’s death in Rohnert Park, who has the right to bring a wrongful death claim?

In California, that right belongs first to the surviving spouse or domestic partner and the children, and in some families to other relatives (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60). The Law Offices of J. Chrisp offers a free consultation and works on a contingency fee, and there is no fee unless we win.

Wrongful death results

Results the firm has obtained in wrongful death cases, as shown on chrisplaw.com and its case results page, include:

$4,000,000 Wrongful Death
$2,250,000 Wrongful Death
$2,250,000 Valley Fire Wrongful Death
$1,250,000 Wrongful Death

Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Who can file a wrongful death claim in California

A wrongful death claim can be brought by the person’s surviving spouse, domestic partner, children and the children of a deceased child. If there are no surviving children or grandchildren, it can be brought by the people who would inherit from the person under California’s intestate succession rules (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60).

Some family members can file if they were dependent on the person who died, whether or not they qualify under those rules. These include a putative spouse, the children of a putative spouse, stepchildren and parents (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60).

Wrongful death claim and survival action: the difference

These are two separate claims, and a family may have both.

Wrongful death is the family’s own claim for what they have lost because of the death.
A survival action is the claim the person who died could have brought if they had lived. It passes to their successor in interest and is brought by the personal representative of the estate or, if there is none, by the successor in interest (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.30).

In a survival action, the damages are limited to the losses the person had before death, such as medical bills and lost earnings, and can include punitive damages they could have recovered. They do not include pain, suffering or disfigurement (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.34). A temporary exception allowed those damages in cases filed on or after January 1, 2022 and before January 1, 2026. That window has closed, so a survival action filed now generally cannot recover them.

Damages families can recover

California’s civil jury instruction on the death of an adult (CACI No. 3921) lists two kinds of wrongful death damages.

Economic damages: the financial support the person would have contributed to the family, gifts or benefits the family would have expected to receive, funeral and burial expenses, and the value of household services the person would have provided.
Non-economic damages: the loss of the person’s love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society and moral support.

The same instruction tells jurors not to award damages for the family’s grief, sorrow or mental anguish, or for the pain and suffering of the person who died.

How fault is handled in a wrongful death case

California uses pure comparative fault, set out in Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975). The California Supreme Court has said that if the person who died was partly at fault, a wrongful death judgment is reduced in proportion (Horwich v. Superior Court (1999) 21 Cal.4th 272). Partial fault reduces the recovery. It does not bar it.

Deadlines for a Rohnert Park wrongful death claim

Deadline	What it controls	Source
6 months	Written claim for a death against a public entity, such as the City of Rohnert Park, Sonoma County or the state. A late-claim application is possible within limits.	Government Code section 911.2; section 911.4
6 months after notice	Lawsuit after the public entity personally delivers or mails written notice rejecting the claim	Government Code section 945.6
2 years	Most wrongful death lawsuits	Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1

The six-month claim deadline is short. If a public vehicle, road or property may have played a part, it is the one to watch first.

Reports, claims and court in Rohnert Park

Inside the city, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety handles both police and fire calls. Its public safety officers are cross-trained as police officers and firefighters. For a collision report, the city’s traffic accident reports page directs people to the LexisNexis eCrash site (ECrash.LexisNexis.com), and says reports can take a few weeks. If the California Highway Patrol investigated, its Santa Rosa Area office is at 6100 LaBath Avenue in Rohnert Park.

A claim against the City of Rohnert Park is made on the city’s Claim Form and filed with the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 130 Avram Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. The city says the Clerk’s Office is the only office that accepts claims. A claim against the County of Sonoma goes to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors at 575 Administration Drive, Suite 100A, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

A wrongful death lawsuit over a death in Rohnert Park is generally filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma (Code of Civil Procedure section 395). Its Civil and Family Law Courthouse is at 3055 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

Offices, service area and recognition

The firm does not have an office in Rohnert Park. Its nearest office is in Santa Rosa at 3558 Round Barn Blvd, Suite 200, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. The main office is in Lower Lake at 9667 Highway 29, Lower Lake, CA 95457, and there is also an office in San Francisco at 1330 Bush Street, Suite 9D, San Francisco, CA 94109. The firm serves Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Founding attorney Jesse Chrisp has represented thousands of injured clients. He was selected to Northern California Rising Stars from 2013 to 2021, an honor awarded to only 2.5% of attorneys in the state, and in 2018 was one of four finalists for San Francisco Trial Lawyer of the Year. He is a graduate of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College and holds the record for the highest personal injury verdict in Lake County. Spanish-speaking staff are available.

Frequently asked questions

Can parents file a wrongful death claim for an adult child?

Sometimes. Parents can file if they would inherit from their child under California’s intestate succession rules, which can apply when the child left no children of their own. Parents who were dependent on the child can also file (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60).

Can our family recover for the pain our loved one went through before they died?

For a survival action filed now, generally not. A temporary law allowed those damages in cases filed from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2025 (Code of Civil Procedure section 377.34). The family’s own wrongful death claim covers the loss of the person’s love, companionship, support and care.

How long do we have to file?

Most wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within two years (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). If a city, county or state vehicle or property was involved, a written claim is generally due within six months.

What does it cost to talk to a lawyer?

The consultation is free, and the Law Offices of J. Chrisp works on a contingency fee. There is no fee unless we win.

Who do we call, and is there an office in Rohnert Park?

The firm does not have an office in Rohnert Park. The closest office is in Santa Rosa at 3558 Round Barn Blvd, Suite 200. The phone is answered 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477).

If you lost a family member in Rohnert Park or elsewhere in Sonoma County, call the Law Offices of J. Chrisp 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477) for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we win.

Why choose the Law Offices of J. Chrisp?

The Law Offices of J. Chrisp is a Northern California personal injury law firm founded by attorney Jesse Chrisp, who was raised in Lake County. The firm represents injured people, with offices in Lower Lake (main office), Santa Rosa and San Francisco, and serves Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties and the San Francisco Bay Area. Consultations are free, the firm works on a contingency fee with no fee unless the firm wins, and the phone is answered 24/7 at 877-J-CHRISP (877-524-7477). The firm was named to Best Law Firms 2026 (Tier 1, Santa Rosa, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs). Jesse Chrisp has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America since 2024 and selected to Super Lawyers from 2023 to 2026.