Dropping a defendant would be the proper notice and this is different than a voluntary dismissal which should only be done when the entire case is being dismissed. However, there is certainly no hurry to do so. I would be concerned about getting all the other defendant's served. You can drop the deceased defendant at any time. I would give it some time to see if the estate is filed in probate, if there is an executor, etc. A big question is if he owned a home or other property. In FL a home, one with a homestead exemption, is protected against judgment, but that does not survive the death of the owner, for example.