The Louisiana Wrongful Death Statute can be found in La. C.C. Art. 2315.2.  Pursuant to the Act, if a person dies due to the fault of another, a suit may be brought by the following persons to recover damages which they sustained as a result of the death:

(1) The surviving spouse and child or children of the deceased, or either the spouse or the child or children.

(2) The surviving father and mother of the deceased, or either of them if he left no spouse or child surviving.

(3) The surviving brothers and sisters of the deceased, or any of them, if he left no spouse, child, or parent surviving.

(4) The surviving grandfathers and grandmothers of the deceased, or any of them, if he left no spouse, child, parent, or sibling surviving.

The right of action granted by this Article expires one year from the death of the deceased.  This right is heritable, but the inheritance of it neither interrupts nor prolongs the prescriptive period defined in this Article.  As used in this Article, the words “child”, “brother”, “sister”, “father”, “mother”, “grandfather”, and “grandmother” include a child, brother, sister, father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother by adoption, respectively.  Also, for purposes of this Article, a father or mother who has abandoned the deceased during his minority is deemed not to have survived him/her[i].

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the surviving spouse, parent, or child of a deceased, who has been convicted of a crime involving the intentional killing or attempted killing of the deceased, or, if not convicted, who has been judicially determined to have participated in killing of the deceased, shall not be entitled to any damages or proceeds in a survival action or an action for the wrongful death of the deceased, or to any proceeds distributed in settlement of any such cause of action.

In such case, the other child or children of the deceased, or if the deceased left no other child surviving, the other survivors enumerated in the applicable provisions of Articles 2315.1(A) and 2315.2(A), in order of preference stated, may bring a survival action against such surviving spouse, parent, or child, or an action against such surviving spouse, parent, or child for the wrongful death of the deceased.

Even an executive pardon shall not restore the surviving spouse’s, parent’s, or child’s right to any damages or proceeds in a survival action or an action for wrongful death of the deceased[ii].

A Foreign administrator or executor may sue to recover damages for wrongful death.  When a right of action to recover damages for the wrongful death of a nonresident vests in the administrator or executor appointed or confirmed by a court of the domicile of the deceased, this administrator or executor may institute and prosecute the action in a court of this state without the necessity of qualifying as ancillary administrator or executor[iii].

[i] La. C.C. Art. 2315.2

[ii] La. C.C. Art. 2315.5

[iii] La. R.S. 13:3331