Sandblaster's Girlfriend Lacks Standing to Sue for Wrongful Death

JACKSON, Miss. - The Mississippi Supreme Court has reversed a decision that allowed the girlfriend of a former sandblaster to proceed with wrongful death claims that she had filed a year after the decedent's underlying personal injury claim was dismissed as improperly venued. Clark Sand Company Inc., et al. v. Kelley, No. 2008-IA-01437-SCT (Miss. Sup. Ct.).

In a Feb. 25 decision, the divided high court ruled that Ruby Kelley did not have standing to sue under the state's Savings or Wrongful Death statutes for her former boyfriend's silica-related injuries because she didn't qualify as the sandblaster's personal representative, listed relative …