Immunity Idols: What to Expect When Confronting Those Protected by the Law

If you’ve ever seen at least one episode of Survivor, you probably remember the coveted “Immunity Idol,” that if one possesses this, no matter how heinous the person and their actions were, they’re 100% immune from being voted off the island.

The law is a bit like this in that certain entities or people may be immune to claims depending on their distinction or status. The likeliness of the average person needing to file a personal injury claim against these people is low, but it’s better to know what and who falls into this category than not.

1. Diplomats: Keep in mind, that only “top” diplomats have the highest degree of immunity along with their family and deputies meaning they can commit literally any crime from theft to murder without getting so much as a slap on the wrist. The silver lining in this is that the local government can request a foreign diplomat’s immunity be revoked, in which they will then be subject to all the legal processes and trials that any average citizen is held to.
2. Military: It has fewer immunities than diplomats, but they have some nonetheless. Absolute immunity involves any case regarding military secrets that must remain secret for the sake of US security, like combat documents, weapons plans, and special intelligence. If your case involves any of this, your claim is getting shot down no matter what.
3. Government: While you can very much sue the government under a personal injury claim, there are certain immunities. If the state decided to build stairs that are so narrow, you end up falling, the government is immune to the injury claim. The government is not immune if the builder built the stairs with the wrong specified material and the stairs later collapsed causing an injury. Also, any injury that was caused as a result of an official enforcing a regulation does not make the official liable. If the agent acted without a purpose specified by the government then the individual is not immune.
4. Informant: To be more specific, informants are immune from having their identities revealed as well as the revelation of their information, but only if the information would reveal their identity. The only way to overcome this is by demonstrating that the information is something that would determine the accused’s innocence or guilt.