What is loss of consortium?

When victims suffer injuries, they can lose many important things. Seriously injured people may suffer financial difficulty from losing their ability to work or walk readily, or to get a good night's sleep. Those less seriously injured may forfeit a day-or-two's pay or may have to pay for accident reports out of their own pockets.

Often, it's not only the injured person who loses something. The rest of the injured person's family is deprived of noneconomic valuables, such as affection of a spouse, companionship or parental guidance of children, or the camaraderie of brothers and sisters.

Loss of consortium is a term that our legal system uses to recognize and compensate those who have suffered losses due to the negligence of others. For instance, parents sometimes sue doctors for loss of consortium with their baby if negligence was involved in the infant's death. Another example might be a wife suing an employer should her husband lose his ability to have sexual relations following an accident that can be attributable to a business's disregard for safety.