Quesnel v. Town of Middlebury

Plaintiffs Thomas and Elizabeth Quesnel, parents of the decedent Matthew J. Quesnel, and Thomas Quesnel, as co-administrator of decedent’s estate, appeal from a decision dismissing their wrongful death action for failure to state a claim for which relief may be granted. Plaintiffs claim the court erred by ruling that (1) decedent’s wife and child may not disclaim their statutory status as next of kin, allowing recovery for the loss suffered by decedent’s parents, (2) decedent’s parents have no common-law cause of action for wrongful death, and (3) providing wrongful death recovery to parents…