Loss of Consortium: Evidence for a Spouse’s Claim
Loss of consortium concerns a qualifying spouse or registered domestic partner’s own loss of companionship, care, assistance or other parts of the relationship after another person’s injury. It is not a claim available automatically to every relative, and it is separate from the injured person’s medical bills or lost earnings. Start by confirming the legal relationship at the relevant time, then describe specific before-and-after changes without exposing more intimate detail than a review actually needs.
Hurt Advice editorial guide. Source review: . This guide does not state that the attorney authored, reviewed or approved it. Visit the profile for public licensing and background records.
Review the attorney’s public background, then confirm experience and availability directly.
Raffi Naljian
Founder, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney
Raffi Garabed Naljian is the founder of Naljian Law Offices and an active California attorney under State Bar #238919. A Los Angeles Times profile says he founded the firm in 2008 after beginning his legal career in 1997, and the State Bar lists personal injury, litigation, criminal law, and business law among his self-reported practice areas.
View Raffi Naljian's full verified profilePrimary identity record
Learn more about Raffi Naljian
This is a focused supporting page. Use Raffi Naljian's full sourced attorney profile as the primary identity record for biography, role, languages, office information, and public-record links. Review that profile alongside the issue-specific preparation and public sources below.
The State Bar record lists Raffi Garabed Naljian as an active California attorney, State Bar #238919. Hurt Advice is a separate referral and legal information service, not the attorney's law firm.
How to Evaluate Attorney Fit for This Issue
Ask counsel to check standing, the underlying injury claim, causation, deadlines and how a separate consortium claim would be presented without duplicating another person’s damages. The California jury instructions identify possible relationship losses but assign no standard amount. A public profile cannot determine whether an individual couple qualifies or what private evidence would be necessary.
Consultation worksheet
Partner’s relationship-change worksheet
Keep identifying and intimate details off this public page. This list prepares a private discussion; it does not establish eligibility or damages.
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What marriage or registered-partnership record and date should counsel check? Was it in place at the time at issue?
What specific shared activity, assistance or companionship was routine, and what calendar, witness or other source supports it?
What changed, when, for how long and what observation or relevant medical restriction supports the change?
Is this the partner’s relationship loss, the injured person’s own loss, or an out-of-pocket expense that needs a different record?
What question about standing, cause, duration, deadline or sensitive proof should be discussed privately with counsel?
Sources for this guide
- Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (July 2026 supplement), CACI 3920
Current instruction addresses a spouse or registered domestic partner’s noneconomic consortium claim and excludes separate financial or replacement-service costs from this category.
- California Family Code section 297.5
California registered domestic partners generally share spouses’ state-law rights and responsibilities.
- California Secretary of State: Domestic partnership FAQ
Official public explanation of registration and the general state-law rights of registered partners.
- California Courts: Statutes of limitations
Official reminder that filing deadlines depend on claim type, defendants and exceptions.
What to Do Next
- 1Identify the relationship at the time of the injury and keep the marriage or California domestic-partnership record available for a private legal review.
- 2Describe normal shared tasks, companionship and support before the injury using factual examples rather than idealized conclusions.
- 3Record dated changes in companionship, household assistance or intimate life only to the extent necessary and comfortable for a professional review; avoid storing sensitive narratives on this page.
- 4Ask counsel which changes belong to the partner’s distinct claim, which are the injured person’s losses, and what evidence and deadline apply.
Evidence Checklist
- Marriage or registered-domestic-partnership status and relevant dates, reviewed privately
- Before-and-after calendars, travel or household routines that show specific shared activities
- Dated examples of changed care, assistance, companionship or support in the partner’s own words
- Any medical restriction relevant to the claimed change, without collecting unrelated intimate records
- A separate list of the injured person’s medical, wage and other damages to avoid counting the same loss twice
Keep your unanswered questions handy when comparing the attorney’s public profile with your needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming a child, parent, fiancé or every person in a household automatically has this specific claim
- Treating a registered domestic partner as categorically excluded under California law
- Using general sadness or a relationship label in place of a concrete before-and-after account
- Copying the injured person’s wages or medical bills into the partner’s consortium ledger
How the Process Typically Works
Check relationship and claim
Confirm the legal relationship at the relevant time and ask about the underlying injury and deadline questions.
Record relationship changes
Use dated examples of companionship, care, assistance and shared activities before and after the injury.
Separate the losses
Keep the partner’s claimed relationship harm distinct from the injured person’s expenses, earnings and other losses.
Damages Questions to Discuss with Counsel
- •Which past expenses are supported by records and legally recoverable?
- •What qualified evidence supports future care or work limitations?
- •Which losses are disputed, and what additional documentation would clarify them?
- •Are other people’s claims or obligations separate from this claim?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any relative seek loss of consortium?
No. California’s CACI 3920 addresses a spouse or registered domestic partner, and actual standing depends on the legal relationship and case facts. Ask for an individual legal review instead of assuming every family member qualifies.
Can a registered domestic partner be included?
California generally gives registered domestic partners the same state-law rights as spouses, and CACI 3920 names domestic partners. Status, timing and the particular claim still need review.
Is this the same as the injured person’s pain or bills?
No. The partner’s claimed relationship loss is distinct; medical bills, wages and the injured person’s own suffering should be kept in their own records.
Must private relationship details appear online?
No. Use this page only to identify the category and source of evidence. Discuss what is relevant and how to handle sensitive material directly with a qualified professional.
Use the attorney’s public background as a starting point for a direct conversation about fit.
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