Swedish man wrongfully declared dead – denied compensation

Published 7 April 2024
- By Editorial Staff
Being wrongly declared dead caused a lot of practical problems for the man.

The man was wrongfully declared dead by a doctor, leaving him unable to pay his bills or use his bank card. Nevertheless, the Chancellor of Justice believes that the death certificate was issued in accordance with the regulations and therefore rejects the man’s application for damages.

It was in May 2022 that a doctor submitted an incorrect death certificate to the Swedish Tax Agency claiming that the man had died. The tax authorities trusted the information and declared the man dead the following day, even though he was very much alive. Only a week later was it informed that the death certificate was incorrect and it was cancelled.

During the time the man was “dead” he was unable to pay his bills or use his bank card. Furthermore, a number of his subscriptions were cancelled. The man therefore chose to claim damages of SEK 100 000 via the Chancellor of Justice.

Doubling of similar cases

However, the Swedish Tax Agency considers that it has acted correctly based on the information received and that there has been no reason to question the death certificate.

JK agrees with the Tax Agency and therefore rejects the man’s application for damages, reports Dagens Juridik. In their investigation, they say that the agency acted completely correctly because there was no reason to suspect that the death certificate was erroneous. Furthermore, “the state regrets the inconvenience that the incident has caused the applicant“.

In Sweden, the number of incorrect death declarations has more than doubled since 2018, rising from 10 to 15 cases per year.

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