It’s Monday, October 29th, 2012, and Hurricane Sandy is ravaging the east coast. You and your family heeded government warnings and evacuated your home on the South shore of Long Island, and now there is nothing to do but wait for it to end.
The next day you return to your home, hoping it is still standing. As you enter the front door, the floor is covered with sand and debris. Water stains mark each wall. Everything on your first floor is destroyed. Your cars are totaled.
You keep things in perspective, though. You think, “Thank God that my family is OK”, and then, “Thank God that I have insurance!” You call your insurance company to make a claim, knowing that at least you’ll have the money to get back on your feet.
What did you think of this story? Did it seem dubious or dishonest to file an insurance claim under these circumstances? Probably not. Our personal injury lawyers serving Northern New Jersey notice that many Christians, however, feel uneasy making personal injury claims or filing personal injury lawsuits.
Property Damage vs. Personal Injury
Many of the same Christians who would pursue a property damage claim refuse to make a personal injury claim. Yet a comparison of these types of claims reveals little distinction. Both cases begin as a claim and have the potential to end up in court. Both cases are paid out by billion-dollar insurance companies, whose business is to sell insurance and pay claims. Also, neither claim will be paid personally by an individual involved in a lawsuit. Neither case will take money out of an individual’s pocket, nor will it take a family’s house away.
The belief that filing a personal injury claim might be a sin or somehow displeasing to God makes sense on the surface, because Christians are supposed to be “forgiving” and not seek revenge. Scripture tells us that “[v]engeance is mine, says the Lord.” However, if you dig deeper, you’ll find that pursuing a personal injury claim is not a form of revenge–and failing to seek compensation to aid your recovery can cause serious problems for you and your loved ones.
At Buttafuoco & Associates, we find it deeply troubling to see Christians forgo their legal rights by a misapplication of scripture.
Did Paul Say Don’t Go to Court?
You may have heard that Christians should “stay out of court,” citing 1 Corinthians 6. A careful reading of this passage reveals that this interpretation is in error. 1 Corinthians 6:1-2 states:
If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? (1 Corinthians 6:1-2)
Paul specifically mentions “trivial” cases, and pleads with the Corinthians to keep their trivial matters out of court. An injury to one’s body, however, is never trivial!
In fact, your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit and made in the image of God, making it infinitely more valuable than any property and infinitely more deserving of protections offered by society. More importantly, though, a careful reader should remember the historical context. Paul is specifically asking Christians to avoid the Roman courts. Roman justice was very harsh and favored the rich and powerful.
Roman Courts vs. Modern Courts
While many aspects of the Roman court system were clearly unjust, this is not the case in the modern-day personal injury law. At Buttafuoco & Associates, our Northern New Jersey personal injury lawyers strive to protect the downtrodden and the vulnerable. The injured party is never in the superior position, and insurance companies have an inexhaustible supply of money and thousands of attorneys on their side.
Modern civil disputes, specifically for serious personal injuries, should use the courts; it’s the fairest way to proceed. A modern-day lawsuit is a dispute resolution system provided for by your tax dollars to uphold the rule of law. The government has set up a civil court system whereby private citizens can resolve disputes with other private citizens and insurance companies.
Our Northern New Jersey personal injury attorneys recently handled a case in which our client was bicycling when he was struck by a car that ran a stop sign. He landed about 12 feet away and sustained serious injuries. The defendant in this case then fled the scene of the accident, knowing what she’d done.
Buttafuoco & Associates brought a lawsuit which not only compensated our client for his injuries, but also let the defendant’s insurance company know what she did. The defendant will likely have to carry more insurance in the future, and hopefully she will more carefully consider her conduct when driving.
Finding an Attorney Who Shares Your Christian Values
If you’re a Christian, it’s not against your faith to file a legitimate personal injury claim. However, it’s important to find a personal injury attorney in Northern New Jersey who shares your values, who you can trust.
At Buttafuoco & Associates, many of our clients are referred to us through local churches and religious organizations, and many on our legal team are people of deep and sincere faith.
Call 1-800-NOW-HURT to schedule a free consultation.
