What Is Loss of Consortium?
Loss of Consortium is a type of non-economic damage involving the harm to a spouse’s marital relationship after a serious personal injury or death. The claim may address lost companionship, affection, household support, or intimacy. The surviving spouse’s relationship losses must connect to the event and the legally recognized injury or death.
Quick Facts About Loss of Consortium
Category
Non-economic damages
Used for
Marital relationship losses
Common confusion
Different from the injured person’s pain and suffering
Also called
Spousal Consortium, Consortium Loss
Often discussed with
Wrongful Death Lawyer
Key Takeaways About Loss of Consortium
- A spouse may claim harm to companionship and marital support.
- The relationship loss must connect to the underlying event.
- Loss of Consortium is not the same as the injured person’s pain claim.
How Loss of Consortium Works
Loss of Consortium focuses on the effect an injury has on a spouse’s marriage. Evidence may include changes in companionship, affection, intimacy, shared responsibilities, and household support. The spouse’s claim is separate from the injured person’s claim for medical expenses, lost wages, or pain and suffering.
Related glossary terms: Non-Economic Damages, Pain and Suffering, Bodily Injury.
The relationship loss must result from the accident and the related injury. Testimony from spouses, relatives, or other people who observed the relationship may help show the change. In a wrongful death matter, a surviving spouse may have a separate claim for losses caused by the death. That claim should not automatically be labeled Loss of Consortium.
From the Atlanta Auto Law team
When we review a wrongful death matter, we separate the surviving family member’s legally recognized losses from damages tied to the deceased person’s own claim. We examine the relationship, the event’s effect, and available records or testimony before describing any consortium-related issue.
Loss of Consortium in Practice: A Real-World Example
A spouse suffers a serious crash injury that changes the couple’s daily relationship, shared responsibilities, and intimacy. The spouse may raise Loss of Consortium as a separate relationship-based damage claim, while the injured person pursues personal injury damages.
Related Services
Related Terms
Non-Economic Damages
Non-Economic Damages are compensation for personal losses that do not have a fixed bill or receipt…
Pain and Suffering
Pain and Suffering is a type of non-economic damage that reflects physical discomfort, emotional distress, and…
Bodily Injury
Bodily Injury is physical harm suffered by a person, including damage that follows a crash and…
Causation
Causation is the connection between an act or event and the harm that follows. In a…
Atlanta Auto Law
Have Questions About Loss of Consortium?
Contact Atlanta Auto Law for practical guidance on Loss of Consortium and related personal injury attorney work in Decatur.