On Oct. 19, 2011, plaintiffs’ decedent George Mora returned to his home, in Walnut, to find his estranged wife, Socorro Mora, inside. Ms. Mora previously lived at the Walnut home with Mr. Mora and their four minor children, plaintiffs Lauren Mora, 16; Michael Mora, 14; Julianna Mora, 12; and Matthew Mora, 8. However, Ms. Mora and her husband had a tumultuous relationship and she had been living away from the family since September 2011. However, on Oct. 19, 2011, she allegedly broke into the house to retrieve some of her belongings when Mr. Mora returned. Ms. Mora ultimately reported a domestic disturbance, and the police arrived at the house to find Ms. Mora in the front yard with wounds and Mr. Mora dead with 33 knife wounds. It was determined that three knives were used during the incident, with one found on top of Mr. Mora’s wrist. Following a lengthy and contentious criminal trial, Ms. Mora was found guilty of second-degree murder of Mr. Mora. The Mora’s minor children (Lauren, Michael, Julianna and Matthew) sued Ms. Mora, alleging that she was responsible for their father’s wrongful death. Plaintiffs’ counsel noted that the civil trial was highly complex, as it involved both probate and conservatorship legal issues. Counsel contended that prior to the fatal incident, on Sept. 13, 2011, Ms. Mora attacked her husband. Counsel contended that during that prior incident, Ms. Mora scratched herself and then attempted to claim that Mr. Mora did it. As a result, Mr. Mora got a restraining order against Ms. Mora, and a judge ordered Ms. Mora to move out of the home. However, on Sept. 24, 2011, the day that Ms. Mora was supposed to leave, the family found their dog, Snowflake, stabbed to death and the house ransacked. Plaintiffs’ counsel noted that, accordingly, Ms. Mora was also found guilty of cruelty to an animal for killing the family dog and found guilty of corporal injury to a spouse for her attack on Mr. Mora on Sept. 13, 2011. Thus, plaintiffs’ counsel argued that Ms. Mora’s past behavior showed that she was the sole cause of Mr. Mora’s death on Oct. 19, 2011. Mrs. Mora claimed that the argument with Mr. Mora on Oct. 19, 2011 escalated to the point where she needed to use the knife in self-defense., Following their father’s death, the children moved in with their father’s brother and his family. The children testified at length regarding their relationship with their father and the impact of their loss. They claimed that they suffered significant and traumatic loss due to being permanently deprived of the love, protection and guidance of their father as a proximate result of his death at the hands of their mother, Ms. Mora. Thus, the minor children sought recovery of damages for the loss of their father’s love, care, comfort and society. Defense counsel argued that the plaintiffs’ loss should be mitigated by their resilience after their father’s death and that the older children, Lauren and Michael, should be awarded less than the younger children. Thus, in closing, defense counsel asked that no more than $500,000 be awarded to each plaintiff.