Wrongful Death-"People Can't We All Just Get Along?"

I've handled a number of Missouri Wrongful Death Cases both in the Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Arena.  It seems that the less the deceased person is loved, the more the family fights over the money.  Alternately, the more the deceased person is loved, the less the family fights over the money.  It's a very wierd phenonomen. Have recently resolved three cases in the last month, all of the families were relatively close.  All truly loved the departed family member and everything went smoothly even when there were different children from different parents.  On the other hand, one of my office mates had a case where nobody had any contact with the dead family member.  They're still fighting how to divide the money.  One wonders why they're getting any money at all!  The lesson is, most wrongful death cases are not about the money, although that is the only measure of retribution.  They are about the wrongdoer being held accountable for the harm caused.