Kids' right to sue when parent killed expanded

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The state Supreme Court has ruled that children in Connecticut have the right to sue for the loss of love and affection when a parent is killed.

Monday’s ruling comes in the case of a West Haven family whose father, Jose Campos, was struck and killed while riding a bicycle in September 2008.

The family won more than $2 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.

But lower courts, siting a 1998 Supreme Court case, threw out a claim filed on behalf of Campos’ three minor children seeking more money for the loss of what is known as “parental
consortium.”

The court overturned that precedent, finding in part that the “unique emotional attachment” and “critically important services” that parents provide are reasons to recognize such lawsuits.