[TAG] (forw) [conspire] More about real-world legal conflict

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Jay R. Ashworth (jra at baylink.com):

> They'll likely get to watch you spend money you didn't want to on a
> lawyer you *don't* have on staff, to defend yourself.  That's where a
> *lot* of legal maneuvering comes from:
> 
> "For about $5000, I'll lay such a burden of discovery on these people
> that we don't get into court until the product is obsolete."
> 
> "Cool.  Here."

While I have a great respect for the ability of legal expenses to ruin
someone's entire decade, it's also true that the tactic can boomerang:

A friend of mine discovered some magic words back in 1999, when a
business executive was threatening her with legal action:  "Well, 
discovery should prove interesting."

The executive blanched, and backed off.  Hauling my friend into court
entailed permitting her very wide lattitude in delving through his
company's records and requiring his staff to answer interrogatories and
depositions under oath, and, given that even your average executive
isn't sure he knows where all of his firm's skeletons are buried, would
have entailed a fearsome risk that he really couldn't justify.

Being sued by a firm will absolutely cost you money.  On their side, the 
cost might just be a lot more serious than _merely_ the money entailed.