Wrongful death settlements occur as a resolution to a wrongful death claim without requiring a court trial. In the vast majority of wrongful death lawsuits, the claim for compensation to a person's wrongful death, or death due to the negligence of another, results in a written settlement, which sometimes even takes place prior to any court action being filed. Potential damages in wrongful death cases include medical expenses, funeral bills, loss of future benefits and earnings, and punitive damages, depending on the law of the applicable state. In calculating damages such as loss of future earnings, the amount of compensation proposed must be reduced to present value, which means that rather than awarding an amount that would represent the deceased person's future earnings in full, an amount would be awarded that if invested, would reach the amount of future earnings of the deceased person. As these calculations can be extremely complicated, attorneys who specialize in this area of the law, as well as economic experts, often are involved in these types of proceedings.