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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Greetings,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I got one response that made some very important distinctions I’d missed:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Stepchildren, even though adults, still have a wrongful death claim. I would argue plain language of the statute confirms that. Adopted kids are
always just “children” without any need to specify anything, because once adopted they are lawful children of the parent and there’s no statutory ambiguity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I completely agree you are correct to distinguish between inheritance law and wrongful death claim. For purposes of inheritance, a stepchild is
not a relative and they don’t inherit anything under intestacy. But wrongful death claims are not estate funds and aren’t an inheritance; they are a cause of action whose benefit flows directly to the statutory beneficiaries named, outside the estate. Even
though the PR is the nominal plaintiff, it’s not a cause of action belonging to the decedent or the estate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Curious as to others’ thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thanks again!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Jeff<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Jeff B. Crollard<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Crollard Law Office, PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">4616 25<sup>th</sup> Ave NE, #743<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Seattle, WA 98105-4183<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Phone: 206-468-2192<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Fax: 206-260-7357<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="mailto:jbc@crollardlaw.com">jbc@crollardlaw.com</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">PLEASE NOTE NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX</span></b><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This email is confidential and may contain information that is protected by attorney-client, work product or other privileges. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination,
use or reliance upon its contents is prohibited. If you received this email in error, please notify me and then delete the email.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Jeff Crollard <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, July 30, 2021 10:51 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Unadopted Stepchildren wrongful death claim?<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Greetings,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I have a nursing home death case and wanted to double check on who has a wrongful death claim. The decedent has surviving children of his own He also has surviving stepchildren,
who were <i>already adults when he married his second wife</i> (and thus nonadopted).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The wrongful death statute lists “stepchildren” as beneficiaries, but doesn’t define the term.
<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=4.20.020">RCW 4.20.020: Wrongful death—Beneficiaries of action. (wa.gov)</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The intestacy law includes the decedent’s “issue” as an heir, but doesn’t mention stepchildren.
<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=11.04.015">RCW 11.04.015: Descent and distribution of real and personal estate. (wa.gov)</a> However, it later says an “adopted child” is an heir.
<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=11.04.085">RCW 11.04.085: Inheritance by adopted child. (wa.gov)</a> Finally, it says to avoid escheat, the issue of the other spouse (the adult stepchildren of his second wife in my case) DO inherit IF
the decedent has no other heirs. <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=11.04.095">
RCW 11.04.095: Inheritance from stepparent avoids escheat. (wa.gov)</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">In my case, the decedent has heirs, his surviving children. Am I correct that although he has stepchildren, because they are nonadopted, adults at the time of his second
marriage, they are NOT stepchildren for purposes of a wrongful death claim?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I don’t want to deprive anyone of a claim, and in fact some of the stepchildren were quite close to him and feel the loss, but I also don’t want to assert a claim that doesn’t
exist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thanks for your help!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Jeff
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Jeff B. Crollard<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Crollard Law Office, PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">4616 25<sup>th</sup> Ave NE, #743<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Seattle, WA 98105-4183<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Phone: 206-468-2192<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Fax: 206-260-7357<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="mailto:jbc@crollardlaw.com">jbc@crollardlaw.com</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">PLEASE NOTE NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX</span></b><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This email is confidential and may contain information that is protected by attorney-client, work product or other privileges. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination,
use or reliance upon its contents is prohibited. If you received this email in error, please notify me and then delete the email.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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