---
type: "LegalText"
title: "28 U.S.C. § 2404"
description: "Death of defendant in damage action"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 28
title_name: "JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE"
chapter_number: "161"
chapter_name: "UNITED STATES AS PARTY GENERALLY"
section: "2404"
citation: "28 U.S.C. § 2404"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc28@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t28/s2404"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-28/usc28.xml"
source_hash: "83d7511e3999f589863979545d6e7feda359f56c0ec9b0f820c9c39502de4fe2"
raw_snapshot_hash: "3390f867a2c02f5d0c496269da780795fe19663a090a3040c64a9ee0a541cdcf"
text_hash: "ceaa5b6304e23cb61d6a3905c6690ec08241f08b2bdcf0c75e0c5fab409ae31e"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 28 U.S.C. § 2404 - Death of defendant in damage action

## Text

A civil action for damages commenced by or on behalf of the United States or in which it is interested shall not abate on the death of a defendant but shall survive and be enforceable against his estate as well as against surviving defendants.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 971.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 780a (June 16, 1933, ch. 103, 48 Stat. 311). Substitution of parties, see rule 25(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Changes in phraseology were made.