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The announcement of George Zimmerman’s acquittal was only a few hours old when talk turned to the option of a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Trayvon Martin’s parents. Legal analysts quickly pointed out that due to Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law the teenager’s family could potentially lose such a trial and end up paying Zimmerman instead. This has led to New Mexico residents questioning the process closer to home. Attorney Andras Szantho, of the Szantho Law Firm, has a reassuring message for those who were concerned of similar pitfalls in New Mexico.“While a person is entitled to defend themselves if they feel that their personal safety is in danger, there is no Stand Your Ground per se in New Mexico,” explains Szantho.
This is good news for families in New Mexico who have cases where such a law could be used as an argument elsewhere. Many states that have enacted Stand Your Ground laws also limit civil actions that make a wrongful death suit prohibitively difficult to take to court. However, the absence of such a law does not ease the burden of proof on plaintiffs.
“A wrongful death case must still prove that the person died from a wrongful act, neglect or default of another.”
The Szantho Law Firm has offices in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. They handle a variety of personal injury cases, including: wrongful death, automobile accidents, slip-and-fall, traumatic brain injury, medical malpractice and more. They can be reached for a free consultation at http://www.szantholaw.com or at (505)-820-3366.
Contact Info:
Name: Andras Szantho
Email: Send Email
Organization: The Szantho Law Firm
Address: 210 Montezuma Ave. Ste. 200 Santa Fe, NM 87501
Phone: (505) 820-3366
Website: http://www.szantholaw.com/
Release ID: 21643