About 3 months ago a JW brother slips on the steps on the way out of his local KH. The step was mossy and slippery as a leaking gutter had been left unattended to.
This brother had pointed out to the elders that the slippy step was an accident waiting to happen for one of the olders ones. The elder(s) said that due to a forthcoming refurb program no action would be taken to rectify the leaking gutter at this time. Oh dear.
So fast forward a few weeks and guess who takes the fall on the step? Yes - the very same brother that had pointed out the danger and was told to wait for the refurb program.
The fall was a bad one and resulted in a nasty broken leg - leaving him off his feet for 6 months. He is currently recuperating. (he had other family circumstances at this time that made the fall extremely unfortunate)
So he has stated his intention to sue for insurance redress against the WTS (NOT the local KH apparently) - perhaps the WTS are the insurance 'company' for this KH. And he is getting professional advice on claim procedure to maximize his position. Apparently the WTS offered an instant settlement, which he refused.
6 months downtime loss of earnings + potential job loss could equal a large payout against the WTS. Yaaay.
(If you recognize these circumstances PM me and I will confirm details if you are prepared to tell me who you are)
Insurance Claim against the WTS in the UK
by besty 12 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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besty
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Sirona
ROFL
What a lovely reason for us all to pay a visit to our local hall and slip on the front step!
Sirona
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Eyes Open
Haaa! I bet he'll be popular with the locals in the congregation. :D
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besty
ROFL
What a lovely reason for us all to pay a visit to our local hall and slip on the front step!
Sirona - if you knew the background its anything but funny - apology accepted in advance :-)
Haaa! I bet he'll be popular with the locals in the congregation. :D
Eyes Open - yes he is very popular in his KH - I'm sure he will have their full sympathy and support.
All of us on JWD shouldn't underestimate the attitude of the rank and file to the WTS if it perceived that they are dishing out unfair treatment. Reminds me of the situation in Biggin Hill Congregation - part of the Greenfields 5 x Kingdom Hall complex near Croydon.
Along with many other KH's in the UK Biggin Hill were advised by the WTS to stop paying a worldly 3rd party insurance company for cover and instead pay the same premiums to the WTS and they would take care of any claims. Well - within a short period of time(tm) the KH was flooded - probably due to a tap being left on for an extended period of time (tm). And guess what - the hall was unusable due to structural damage caused by the flood and needed extensive repairs. Time for the WTS Insurance plan to swing into action - NOT. They refused to pay out. Told the Biggin Hill cong. to share with one of the other KH's on the complex and that the money would be better used elsewhere in the world to build KH's where needed.
So in the maplink above - one of those nice shiny buildings on the lower left is dark,empty,flooded and unusable - and plenty of pissed of brothers there I can tell you.
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slimboyfat
But isn't taking legal action against fellow brothers against the rules? Surely this is an open and shut disfellowshipping case.
I heard of an instance in Germany where a sister was crippled at a quick build and convinced by the society not to sue. I think she will come to regret that.
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besty
Hey SBF
But isn't taking legal action against fellow brothers against the rules? Surely this is an open and shut disfellowshipping case.
No - it hasn't gone legal yet as far as I know. It will be an amicable conversation to seek redress in the same way that you don't approach your insurance company via the courts if you have a claim :-)
It may go legal if a suitable outcome can't be reached.
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Hope4Others
So he has stated his intention to sue for insurance redress against the WTS (NOT the local KH apparently) - perhaps the WTS are the insurance 'company' for this KH. And he is getting professional advice on claim procedure to maximize his position. Apparently the WTS offered an instant settlement, which he refused.
6 months downtime loss of earnings + potential job loss could equal a large payout against the WTS. Yaaay.Some one has to compensate him, that is a lot of lost wages. Most people especially Jw's are not prepared to last 1-3 months of loss income let alone six.
Hope he wins!
hope4others
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blondie
An individual jw can sue the local congregation (covered by the WTS insurance) just like you can sue another individual jw in a car accident.
*** w63 3/1 p. 160 Questions From Readers***
In the case of an accident involving dedicated Christians, would it be proper for one to enter a legal suit against a fellow Christian in order to claim the benefits of insurance that he has?—E. G., United States.
If this is the only means by which the one who sustained injury can get the compensation provided by the insurance, it would not be improper; it is up to him to decide whether he wants to take the matter to court or not. This is not the type of situation that the apostle Paul was discussing when he wrote about law suits, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8. He was discussing instances in which persons who claimed to be Christian brothers were at odds with each other. The one felt that he had been defrauded by the other. But the apostle wisely showed that Christians ought to be able to settle matters privately, if not directly between the individuals concerned, then with the aid of other mature ones in the congregation.
However, when there is no such animosity between members of the congregation and the legal suit is simply a procedural arrangement required in order to obtain compensation from the insurance company, the situation is quite different. The course to be taken becomes a matter for personal decision.
The WTS lawyers will play hardball. They will treat this brother as a fraud case and will not consider the needs due to his injury.
Many corporations like this are "self-insured" based on the amount of their assets. So any payment is coming out of the WTS pocket not some anonymous non-jw company.
Blondie
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besty
Thanks Blondie - doncha just love all the loaded language here telling the brothers not to go to court?
*** w63 3/1 p. 160 Questions From Readers***
In the case of an accident involving dedicated Christians, would it be proper for one to enter a legal suit against a fellow Christian in order to claim the benefits of insurance that he has?—E. G., United States.
If this is the only means by which the one who sustained injury can get the compensation provided by the insurance, it would not be improper; it is up to him to decide whether he wants to take the matter to court or not. This is not the type of situation that the apostle Paul was discussing when he wrote about law suits, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8. He was discussing instances in which persons who claimed to be Christian brothers were at odds with each other. The one felt that he had been defrauded by the other. But the apostle wisely showed that Christians ought to be able to settle matters privately, if not directly between the individuals concerned, then with the aid of other mature ones in the congregation.
However, when there is no such animosity between members of the congregation and the legal suit is simply a procedural arrangement required in order to obtain compensation from the insurance company, the situation is quite different. The course to be taken becomes a matter for personal decision
If this is the ONLY means.....<hmmm... perhaps I should consider ALL other means first>
it would not be improper....<or it would be proper, but phrased as a double negative for some reason>
it is up to him to decide whether he wants to take the matter to court OR NOT....<hmmm..making an individual decision..that's rebellious normally...>
But the apostle wisely showed that Christians ought to be able to settle matters privately.......<the wise apostle tells us settling matters privately, directly, or maybe with the help of the elders is the correct thing to do....SO DO IT YOU BRAINWASHED ROBOTS>
The course to be taken.....< the word 'course' is frequently used in WTS literature as a negative word, implying rebellious behaviour>
becomes a matter for personal decision......<once you have read all the above the WTS controlled mind knows what the right answer is>
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blondie
besty, I have personally been involved and have direct knowledge of how this type of situation has been handled in this area. The person can sue but they are not viewed as "spiritually strong" and it is an adversarial relationship from the elders up to the WTS Legal representative. I work(ed) in this area and can tell you that the WTS is even worse than the insurance companies when it comes to "screwing" over the claimant.
Blondie