I spend most of my time trying to find and create symmetry. (That’s probably one of the reasons Wes Anderson delights.)
But there isn’t always symmetry in personal injury case.
Lying is the kiss of death for injured people. At their depositions they say that they can’t go grocery shopping. Then the other side unspools video of them carrying a case of beer and box of canned meat out of Safeway.
But a reputation for “integrity” doesn’t have a corresponding positive effect. So there really isn’t symmetry.
(Reinforcing the lack of symmetry: It usually doesn’t have a big impact if the defendant lies about how the wreck happened. Either that gets excluded or the focus is on damages, not liability.)
Insurance adjusters, judges and jurors don’t care whether the injured person has a reputation for integrity. They only care whether the all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
Was there a lot of property damage?
Were there symptoms right away?
Did the injured person treat appropriately and consistently?
Did the injured person experience a real change in their lives?
Did the injured person do their best to make the best of a bad situation?
Are there permanent residuals?
Some clients want to call their parents, elementary school teachers, elders from their church and members of the state legislature to testify about their reputation for integrity in court.
That testimony is probably going to be excluded by the judge. But even if the judge lets it in, it just doesn’t matter. What does matter is whether the (important) pieces fit together.