What Is the Pecuniary Value of Life in Tennessee?

Quick answer: The pecuniary value of life in Tennessee wrongful death cases is the monetary worth of the deceased person’s life to their surviving family members. It includes lost earning capacity (minus living expenses) and consortium — the loss of love, companionship, guidance, and affection. This is often the largest part of a wrongful death award.

Losing a loved one to someone else’s negligence brings grief that no dollar amount can ever heal. Yet Tennessee law must still attempt to place a value on that loss when a family seeks justice. This figure is known as the pecuniary value of life, and it sits at the heart of most Tennessee wrongful death cases.

Understanding how courts calculate this value can help grieving families know what to expect. Below, the wrongful death attorneys at Bill Easterly & Associates break down what the term means, how Tennessee law treats it, and why it often makes up the bulk of a wrongful death recovery.

How Does Tennessee’s Wrongful Death Statute Work?

Tennessee takes an unusual approach to wrongful death claims. According to the Tennessee Supreme Court in Jordan v. Baptist Three Rivers Hospital (1999), the state’s system is “a hybrid between survival and wrongful death statutes.” The governing law, Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-5-113, has existed in some form since 1883.

What Is a Hybrid Survival and Wrongful Death Approach?

A pure survival statute preserves the legal claim the victim had at the moment of death. A pure wrongful death statute creates a new claim for the survivors. Tennessee does both. The statute lets a family recover damages the deceased suffered and damages the survivors suffered because of the death.

What Damages Cover the Deceased’s Injuries and Losses?

The first category of damages compensates for harm the deceased endured between the injury and death. Per Jordan v. Baptist Three Rivers Hospital, these damages can include:

• Medical expenses from the injury
• Physical and mental pain and suffering
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Lost wages and loss of earning capacity

How Is the Pecuniary Value of Life Calculated?

The second category compensates the surviving family directly. Tennessee courts call this the pecuniary value of the deceased’s life. The Tennessee Supreme Court has acknowledged that this value “cannot be defined to a mathematical certainty,” yet it remains the most significant part of most awards.

What Is Consortium and How Is It Valued?

Consortium is the value of the relationship itself. Thanks to Jordan v. Baptist Three Rivers Hospital, Tennessee families can recover for the loss of love, companionship, and guidance — not just lost income.

A surviving spouse may recover for the loss of love, affection, and intimacy. Children may recover from the loss of a parent’s guidance, nurturing, and society. Parents may recover for the loss of a child’s love and companionship. As the court put it, “companionship, comfort, society, guidance, solace, and protection… go into the vase of family happiness.”

Tennessee law does require that any consortium award reflect a “reasonable value.” Courts can reduce jury awards that seem driven by sympathy rather than reason.

Why Do You Need an Attorney for a Wrongful Death Claim?

Proving the pecuniary value of life takes more than emotion. It requires economic projections, vocational analysis, and clear evidence of the family bond. An experienced attorney works with financial experts to calculate lost earnings and presents the human relationship in a way that meets the court’s “reasonable value” standard.

A skilled lawyer also navigates Tennessee’s hybrid statute, ensuring no element of damages is overlooked. For families already carrying immense grief, having a dedicated advocate removes the burden of fighting a legal battle alone.

Get Help From Bill Easterly & Associates

The pecuniary value of life recognizes a hard truth: your loved one mattered, both to your family and in the eyes of the law. While no settlement can replace them, full and fair compensation can protect your family’s future.

If you have lost a family member because of another person’s negligence in Tennessee, the attorneys at Bill Easterly & Associates are here to help. Contact us today for a compassionate, confidential consultation about your wrongful death case.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “pecuniary value of life” mean in Tennessee?

It is the monetary value of a deceased person’s life to their surviving family. It combines the deceased’s net lost earning capacity with consortium, the loss of love, companionship, and guidance. Tennessee courts treat it as incidental damages under Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-5-113.

Who can recover damages in a Tennessee wrongful death case?

Surviving spouses, children (both minor and adult), and parents of a deceased child may recover consortium damages. For adult children, courts consider the closeness of the relationship and any dependence on the deceased.

Is the pecuniary value of life the biggest part of a wrongful death award?

Often, yes. Because it includes both lost earnings over a lifetime and the value of lost relationships, the pecuniary value of life is usually the highest-value portion of Tennessee wrongful death damages.

Can adult children recover from the loss of a parent?

Yes. In Jordan v. Baptist Three Rivers Hospital, the Tennessee Supreme Court held that a child’s age does not bar a consortium claim. However, the recovery may be limited if the relationship was distant or the child was not dependent on the parent.