Many of our clients at Buttafuoco & Associates are devoutly religious people, since a good part of our practice is referred to us from the church. It is not unusual for Pastors, Priests, Deacons, or other church leaders to recommend our Northern New Jersey personal injury lawyers since we are actively involved in ministry to the poor and other church-related missions.
With so many devout clients, our personal injury lawyers serving Northern New Jersey are often asked: “Is it morally wrong for a Christian to bring a lawsuit for personal injuries?” Fortunately, our firm is well equipped to answer this question. Dan Buttafuoco is an active elder in his church and possesses a master’s degree in theology from Alliance Theological Seminary. He is also an amateur Bible scholar and has taught graduate students at both seminary and law school.
Here is some food for thought when it comes to the morality of lawsuits.
Lawsuits and the Bible
The Bible, the teachings of Moses, and the teachings of Jesus are very concerned with the concept of justice. Continually we are told in scripture to “defend the poor, the weak and the fatherless” in court. In fact, Exodus 22 sets forth legal guidelines for God’s people to recover compensation in personal injury accidents when these accidents are caused by the fault of another, either through negligence or other wrongdoing. It is a simple but profound concept. If you break it, you must fix it. If you hurt someone, you must pay for it.
If this sounds familiar, that’s because these very same moral and just principles are embodied in our law today in the United States. Furthermore, our Northern New Jersey personal injury attorneys often see insurance companies and corporations taking immoral and corrupt action in denying valid claims. With superior resources and legal teams, these companies attempt to pay out as little as possible, circumventing their legal and moral obligation to those they’ve hurt; what the civil court offers is a system where victims of these companies can seek a righteous outcome.
What About Suing Private Citizens, Not Corporations?
You may be understandably concerned about the morality of suing when the defendant isn’t a corporation with deep pockets. What if it’s the “sweet little old lady” down the street? In just about every jury case brought in America there is liability insurance that will pay the verdict, so in most cases, you are not setting someone up for financial disaster.
Jurors and the public are never told that the ultimate payment for injuries in these cases is made by an insurance company. In court it is actually illegal to tell the jury that insurance money is involved. Consequently, jurors are never aware of the truth: that the money being sought will be paid by “XYZ Insurance Company.”
Insurance companies exist for the sole purpose of paying claims. Yet they are often protected by the fiction that the person being sued must personally pay the plaintiff out of their own pocket. The average person has insufficient money to pay damages on any significant personal injury claim. It is certainly not immoral to accept money for injuries from insurance companies, since they exist for this very purpose.
Need an Attorney Who Understands?
If you are the victim of an accident, but you’re hesitant to file a civil lawsuit because of your religious beliefs, we recommend consulting with a Northern New Jersey personal injury attorney at Buttafuoco & Associates who understands your moral compass.
Call 1-800-NOW-HURT to get in touch.
