I thought I had seen everything and then this crazy story comes along. According to the New York Times a man is suing the photographer that shot his 2003 wedding for not only the cost of the service but for the money he says is required to re-create the entire wedding including flying in all of the guests! Interestingly, the marriage is long since over and the former bride has returned to Latvia. To read the rest of this story click here.
In her remarks, the judge make humorous remarks and recalls passages from Barbra Streisand’s song, “The Way We Were” to make light of the situation. The problem is, there is nothing funny or light about this mess.
Way too many business owners are regularly held hostage by unbelievably stupid lawsuits. Lawyers paid on commission (or contingency) can basically extort money from a business by simply beating them down. While the plaintiff’s lawyer is waiting for his commission check at the end of the fight, the defendant is paying out of pocket to deal with the law suit. Great for lawyers but terrible for business owners. After a while, most defendants just throw up their hands and pay the jerks to go away.
If it sounds like this makes me grouchy, you’re right. I hear the horror stories that business owners tell us. It is why they come to Laughlin. They never want to go through such a nightmare again.
Do yourself a favor folks and get your house in order. Stop these stupid lawsuits before they start. Don’t be an easy target. It’s totally up to you.
Small Business 411 