Do different laws govern the distribution of different parts of the award?
Yes. The award for non-economic damages is distributed according to the wrongful death statute of the jurisdiction of the decedent’s domicile. The $250,000 representing the decedent’s non-economic damages are considered an asset of the estate distributed according to the will or according to the intestacy laws of the state of the decedent’s domicile if there was no will. The $100,000 paid for the non-economic damages of each surviving spouse and dependent is paid directly to each beneficiary.
