An explanation of the estimated amounts of compensation in the case of impending death, using the damages awarded to the contaminated victims as the dependant variable in a single equation regression model which is founded on Lancaster's goods characteristics model and on a model of inter-temporal choice of consumption is presented. The data source of the Compensation Fund for People infected by blood transfusions and the haemophiliacs (FITH) was used to provide the variables deployed. The results indicate the negative effect of age, sex, nationality and medical state, and the positive effect of professional status and the presence of contaminated nearest relatives. One observation is that individuals who suffer from economic damage go more often to the courts than other individuals. Since the objective of the FITH is to award a compensation and to minimize the number of victims who uses the right of appeal against it, the FITH awards a higher compensation in order to dissuade them from going to courts. [Author]