Protections for the Vulnerable Are Absolute: Whether you are Lawyer or not is irrelevant. Cassation No. 253575, 30/3/2017 E.C

The Applicant who is a legal professional and visually impaired sustained car accident causing 20% permanent injury. He filed suit against respondents claiming outstanding damage compensation, totaling Birr 654,403.18. Applicant also signed a settlement with the 2nd respondent (insurance) after an accident. The lower courts sided defendants reasoning that Applicant as a "legal professional who understands the content of the contract well," he was fully aware of his actions and therefore bound by them.

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Legal issues identified by Cassation are "The appropriateness of ruling that the Applicant had concluded the compensation claim with the 2nd Respondent through a reconciliation agreement and the legal effect that the alleged reconciliation agreement made between the Applicant and the 2nd Respondent has on the liability of the 1st Respondent"

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Cassation bench ruled that the law's special procedural requirement for contracts signed by visually impaired individuals, that they must be certified by a judge or notary, is absolute and non negotiable. The applicant's expertise as a lawyer was deemed legally irrelevant. The lower courts erred by concluding that the settlement between the Applicant and the 2nd respondent/insurance terminated the claim against the 1st respondent.

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The court prioritized the procedural safeguard over the individual's personal knowledge, explicitly rejecting the lower court’s reliance on customary practice in favor of the explicit law. This ruling establishes a core tenet of protective law. Certain safeguards for vulnerable groups are absolute shields that cannot be waived, regardless of an individual's education or profession.

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