Which surviving family members have the right or responsibility to make a claim for wrongful death in Florida?
Section 768.18, Florida Statutes, defines “survivors” as the decedent’s spouse, children, parents, and, when partly or wholly dependent on the decedent for support or services, any blood relatives and adoptive brothers and sisters. It includes a child born out of wedlock of a mother, but not the child born out of wedlock of the father unless the father has recognized a responsibility for the child’s support. Minor children are defined as children under 25 years of age.
