Effective Steps For Small Business Owners Addressing Frivolous Lawsuits
Owning a small business sometimes means being more exposed to lawsuits. Customers may think you don't have the means to fight back against legal claims, which can lead to frivolous lawsuits. If you take these effective steps, your small business can better manage them over the years.
Don't Panic
A smart tactic you can do for your small business when facing a frivolous lawsuit is to avoid panicking. That wouldn't be good because you won't be able to think clearly. Then you might do the wrong things when reaching out to the customer that started this frivolous lawsuit or may try to settle too quickly.
Give yourself a couple of days to de-stress and realize the bigger picture of what this frivolous lawsuit means. There probably isn't any grounds for the lawsuit, and by having a calm and patient approach, you can keep a legal situation with a customer from escalating.
Always Contest
Frivolous lawsuits may be scary to face because you're not sure what the outcome will be, even when you know your small business did nothing wrong. Still, you should always contest frivolous lawsuits. This is key for multiple reasons. One of them being it sets a precedence with future customers. Frivolous lawsuits won't lead to settlements like some customers are hoping for.
Contesting every instance of a frivolous lawsuit also helps you maintain your small business's reputation. Customers will see that you did nothing wrong when these legal situations come up. They may not even know about them because contesting and winning will keep these records off the books.
Be Ready for an Oral Argument
If your small business isn't able to have the frivolous lawsuit dismissed initially, then a judge may call for oral arguments. This is where both parties argue their case in order to see what legal actions come next. It can help out a lot to prepare for these oral arguments in advance.
A frivolous lawsuit attorney can help with this if you want professional preparation, ensuring you say and do the right things throughout the oral argument period.
Your small business may stay on the up and up at all times, but even so, customers may try taking advantage of everything you built through frivolous lawsuits. If you know what type of response is necessary, then they'll never be able to get to the point of causing costly and stressful legal battles.
Contact a lawyer who can help you stop frivolous lawsuits to learn more.
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