Why Choose Sadaka Law
When someone you love dies because of another person’s negligence, you’re not just dealing with grief. You’re facing medical bills, lost income, and a future that looks completely different than what you planned.
We understand what you’re going through. Our founder, Mark Sadaka, lost his mother to cigarette-induced lung cancer at 51. That personal loss drives everything we do as a firm.
Litigation with Purpose
We combine scientific investigation with courtroom tenacity. We don’t just file papers and hope for the best. We dig into the science, the evidence, and the facts until we understand exactly what happened and who’s responsible.
Our track record speaks for itself:
- First law firm to prove the Gardasil vaccine could be fatal
- First to link Gardasil to infertility and narcolepsy
- Millions recovered for families who lost loved ones to defective products
- Leadership positions in nationwide product liability lawsuits
- Successful representation of families in medical malpractice death cases
You pay nothing unless we win. That’s not a marketing gimmick. It’s how we practice because we believe in the cases we take.
What Is Wrongful Death?
A wrongful death happens when someone dies because of another person’s or a company’s negligence, recklessness, or intentional actions.
This isn’t about criminal court. That’s the state going after someone for breaking the law. This is a civil court, where you can hold the responsible party accountable financially for what they took from your family.
Think of it this way: even if the person who killed your loved one goes to jail, that doesn’t pay your bills or replace the income your family lost. That’s what a wrongful death claim does.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim
In New Jersey, only the personal representative of the estate can file the lawsuit. That’s usually the executor named in the will, or someone the court appoints if there’s no will.
But the money goes to the survivors:
| Eligible Survivors | Relationship |
| Spouse | Married partner at the time of death |
| Children | Biological, adopted, or stepchildren |
| Parents | When no spouse or children survive |
| Life partners | Domestic partners under NJ law |
| Financial dependents | Anyone who relied on the deceased for support |
If you’re not sure who should file or how to get appointed as the personal representative, don’t worry. We’ll walk you through it.
What to Do Right Now
You’re probably overwhelmed. That’s normal. But there are specific things you need to do to protect your family’s legal rights.
1. Get the Official Documentation
Report the death to the police or the medical examiner. Get several certified death certificates. You’ll need them moving forward.
2. Preserve the Evidence
Gather police reports, medical records, autopsy results, photos, videos, and witness contact information. Don’t let anyone clean up an accident scene or throw away evidence.
3. Get Legal Representation for the Estate
If there’s no executor appointed, ask the court for letters of administration. You need someone with legal authority to act on behalf of the estate.
4. Don’t Talk to Insurance Companies
They’re not your friends. They’re trying to pay as little as possible. Don’t sign anything or accept any offers before talking to an attorney.
5. Call Us Immediately
Evidence disappears. Witnesses forget. Security camera footage gets deleted. The sooner we start investigating, the stronger your case will be.
You Have Two Years (But Don’t Wait)
New Jersey gives you two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit. There are some exceptions for minors or if criminal proceedings are ongoing, but even if you can wait, that doesn’t mean you should.
Why waiting hurts your case:
- Evidence gets lost, destroyed, or forgotten
- Security footage gets automatically deleted
- Medical records become harder to obtain
- Insurance companies use delays against you
Two years sounds like a long time when you’re grieving. It’s not. Complex cases take months to investigate properly. The insurance companies know this. They’ll drag their feet, hoping you’ll miss the deadline or get desperate and accept a lowball settlement.
Don’t let them win by waiting.
Common Causes We Handle
Every year in New Jersey, hundreds of families lose someone they love because of preventable accidents. Here’s what we see most often:
- Car accidents: Drunk drivers, distracted drivers, reckless drivers who kill innocent people
- Medical malpractice: Doctors who miss diagnoses, surgeons who make mistakes, hospitals that ignore warning signs
- Workplace accidents: Construction sites, industrial accidents, places where safety rules are ignored
- Defective products: Cars that don’t protect passengers, medications that kill instead of help, devices that fail when people need them most
- Premises liability: Property owners who don’t maintain safe conditions, and someone dies because of it
- Animal attacks: Dangerous dogs whose owners knew they were aggressive
What Your Family Can Recover
We calculate these damages carefully, working with economists and life care planners to make sure we’re asking for what your family actually needs, not just what sounds good.
Economic Damages
| Type | What It Covers |
| Medical expenses | Final illness or injury treatment costs |
| Funeral costs | Burial or cremation expenses |
| Lost income & benefits | What they would have earned over their lifetime, plus retirement & other benefits |
Non-Economic Damages
These address the pain that can’t be measured in dollars: loss of companionship, guidance, and emotional support. The hole in your family that can never be filled.
Special consideration: While wrongful death cases involving children present unique challenges in calculating economic damages, New Jersey courts focus on the actual pecuniary losses and potential economic contributions the child might have provided.
Survival Actions vs. Wrongful Death Claims
A wrongful death claim compensates your family for what you lost. A survival action is different. It recovers damages for what your loved one went through before they died.
If they suffered pain, needed medical treatment, or experienced conscious suffering before death, the estate can recover those damages too.
In New Jersey, we can file both claims together to make sure everyone is held responsible for all the harm they caused.
How We Handle Your Case
Our 4-Step Process
Step 1: Free Consultation
We’ll review what happened, explain your options, and tell you honestly whether you have a case worth pursuing.
Step 2: Investigation
We gather evidence, interview witnesses, review medical records, and consult with experts who can explain what really happened.
Step 3: Settlement Negotiations
Sometimes the responsible party’s insurance company will offer fair compensation without going to court. We’ll negotiate aggressively to get you what you deserve.
Step 4: Trial Preparation & Trial
If they won’t settle fairly, we prepare for trial. That means working with accident reconstructors, medical experts, economists, and anyone else needed to prove your case.
We don’t just threaten to go to trial, we actually do it. Insurance companies know that, and it changes how they negotiate.
Settlement vs. Trial: What to Expect
Most wrongful death cases settle out of court. Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean you get less. It means the responsible party agrees to pay fair compensation without the uncertainty and expense of a trial.
However, some cases need to go to trial. Maybe the insurance company is being unreasonable. Maybe there are multiple defendants pointing fingers at each other. Maybe the case involves new legal issues that need to be decided by a jury.
When we take your case, we prepare as if it’s going to trial. That way, if settlement talks break down, we’re ready.
Your Settlement Options
If we recover money for your family, you’ll have choices about how to receive it.
Payment Options Comparison
| Advantages of a Lump Sum | Advantages of a Structured Settlement |
| All money upfront | Payments spread over time |
| Immediate access to funds | Guaranteed future income |
| You control investments | Tax advantages possible |
| Good for immediate needs | Insurance company guarantees payments |
We’ll also help with probate, estate administration, setting up trusts for minors, and making sure the settlement is distributed in compliance with New Jersey law.
Choosing the Right Attorney
Not every personal injury lawyer handles wrongful death cases. These cases are complex, emotionally difficult, and require specific knowledge of New Jersey law.
Questions to ask any attorney you’re considering:
- How many wrongful death cases have you actually tried in court?
- What’s your experience with cases similar to mine?
- Who else will be working on my case?
- How do you determine the value of my claim?
Our unique advantage: Our founder has a Master’s degree in Public Health with a specialty in toxicology. We understand the medical and scientific issues that often determine these cases. We’ve been appointed to leadership positions in nationwide lawsuits because other attorneys trust our knowledge and experience.
As we often say, “We are a science and law hybrid that understands the context of these medically and scientifically complicated cases.”
Why We Go to Trial When Necessary
Insurance companies bet that most lawyers won’t actually go to trial. They’re usually right. Going to trial is expensive, time-consuming, and risky. But sometimes it’s the only way to get justice.
We prepare every case for trial from day one. That means working with the best expert witnesses, accident reconstruction services, and forensic specialists. It means building a compelling story that explains what happened and why the defendant should be held responsible.
When insurance companies see that level of preparation, they take our demands seriously.
The Emotional Reality
Losing someone you love is devastating. Pursuing a wrongful death claim while you’re grieving is doubly exhausting.
No amount of money can bring back the person you lost. But there is something important about holding the responsible party accountable and making sure they can’t hurt another family the way they hurt yours. It’s not about getting rich, but about getting justice.
We understand the emotional trauma you’re facing. That’s why we handle all the legal complexity while you focus on healing and taking care of your family.
Our mission is to be passionate advocates for our clients during one of the most trying times of their lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Criminal cases are when the state prosecutes someone for breaking the law. Civil cases are about compensation for the harm they caused. You can pursue both at the same time.
Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t matter. A criminal conviction can be evidence in your civil case, but you don’t need a criminal conviction to win a civil case.
New Jersey uses comparative negligence. If your loved one was partially responsible, it reduces the amount you can recover, but it doesn’t eliminate your claim entirely.
Evidence You’ll Need
- Autopsy reports and medical records
- Police reports and accident scene photos
- Expert medical opinions
- Witness statements and contact information
- Employment records and tax returns
- Any physical evidence from the scene
It depends on the complexity of the case and whether it settles or goes to trial. Simple cases might resolve in months. Complex cases can take years. We’ll give you realistic expectations based on your specific situation.
According to New Jersey’s wrongful death statute and the intestacy laws. Generally, it goes to spouses and children first, then parents and other family members. If there are disputes, the court can determine the distribution.
Get Started Today
You don’t have to face this alone. We handle wrongful death cases throughout New Jersey, and we’re available 24/7 because emergencies don’t wait for business hours.
Free case evaluation. No fees unless we win.
The consultation is completely free. We’ll review your case, explain your options, and help you understand what to expect. If we take your case, you pay nothing until we recover money for your family.
