Despite the men knowing that Ill was the father of the child, and that Claire had been faithful to Ill, after being bribed, they lied in court, testifying that Claire had been with multiple men at the time, so no father could be determined. This led to the outcasting of Claire and thus all of the events in the story.
Despite the Gulleners' claims of bieng morally correct, a small financial incentive is enough for them to ruin an innocent person's life.
Immediately, before even the time of the story, the "justice" system, which is meant to be founded on morals, is controlled by money.