When you lose someone you love and they have left without a will for their estate, they are said to have passed away intestate. Understanding wrongful death laws can be difficult, as they vary from state to state.

Read the following to understand priority under intestacy law in Connecticut:

• If a spouse is living but no children or parent, all of the estate goes to the spouse.
• If a spouse and parent are living but no children, the first $100,000 and 3/4 of the estate goes to the spouse. The remainder is divided equally among the parents.
• If a spouse and children are living, the spouse takes 1/2 the estate. If the children are also the spouse’s, the spouse also takes $100,000. If the children are not the spouse’s, the spouse only takes 1/2 of the estate and the remains are divided among the children of the same generation.
• If children are living but no spouse, shares of the estate are divided equally among children of the same generation.
• If there is no spouse or children living, shares are divided equally among the parents.
• If there is no children, parents, or spouse living, shares go to brothers and sisters or descendants. Shares are divided equally if they are in the same generation. If there are no living brothers and sisters, the estate goes to the next of kin.

When there are multiple generations involved (such as grandchildren):

• The estate is divided into as many shares as there are living members of the nearest generation of children, including deceased children who left behind children of their own. Each surviving heir in the nearest generation of the victim receives one share and the share of each deceased person is divided into the next generation in the same manner.

For more information on Connecticut wrongful death laws, visit justice.gov.

If you or someone you know is dealing with a Connecticut wrongful death case, contact the experts at Meyerson and O’Neill law firm today at 877-373-8059.