MS HB800

Amends Mississippi Code Section 11-7-13 to allow wrongful death damages to be distributed according to the deceased's will if one exists, rather than following the statutory distribution formula

Current law distributes wrongful death damages equally among surviving spouse and children, or to parents and siblings if no spouse or children exist

The change would override the default distribution scheme that prioritizes spouse, children, parents, mother, brothers, and sisters in a specific statutory order

Applies to wrongful death actions resulting from negligent acts, unsafe machinery, breach of warranty on consumable products, and workplace injuries causing death

Effective date: July 1, 2011