When you own your own business, you want to do everything you can to protect its interest and maintain your operations. However, at some point, you may run into a situation when someone is threatening to file a lawsuit against you or your enterprise. Being threatened with legal action can be intimidating, and you may be thinking: Someone threatened to sue my business: Do I need a lawyer?
Business Lawsuits
The majority of businesses will be sued at some point during their lifespan. However, someone threatening to file suit is not the same thing as actually doing so. It also doesn’t mean that the individual has a valid claim against you or your business. That being said, you don’t want to wait until matters to escalate. If you are concerned about a possible suit, you should contact an experienced business attorney as soon as possible to discuss the matter.
Common Business Lawsuits
Conducting business often involves entering into several agreements with other parties. Therefore, not surprisingly, most business-related lawsuits concern breach of contract disputes. A breach of contract happens when one or both parties fail to adhere to a term of their agreement. These may include acts such as delivering the wrong goods, failing to provide timely services, missing a lease payment, making improper use of a leased space, not paying a vendor as agreed, and other infractions. Contract disputes have the potential to become costly and complicated. However, there are ways to resolve these types of issues without resorting to extensive litigation.
You may also encounter other types of legal action. For instance, a customer or employee could sustain an injury at your business location and sue for personal injury damages. If you have employees, it’s also possible that you could be sued for employment-related discrimination or have to defend a dismissal in an unemployment benefits hearing. There is also the possibility of someone suing you for trademark infringement or over another intellectual property-related matter.
Whatever the dispute, having a business lawyer on your side is always in your best interest. Your attorney can help you evaluate the current allegation and determine if there is a possibility the other party may file suit. Upon reviewing your information, you may find that there is less to worry about than you originally believed. By contrast, you could also learn that there is a potential issue. However, by taking proactive steps, you and your attorney can develop a strategy to address the problem and plan for the future. The important thing is to get ahead of the situation before it goes any further.
Planning Ahead
Once you and your business attorney have evaluated the immediate threat, you can assess other aspects of your enterprise. This may involve reviewing existing agreements and drafting new contracts and policies that protect your interests. After consulting with your attorney, you may also determine that you may want to change your business structure to one that limits personal liability. By working with experienced counsel, you can improve and develop business practices that can help safeguard your entity and help you prevent future conflicts with your customers, vendors, landlords, and others.
Contact a Florida Business Attorney Today
Attorney Richard Sierra at the Florida Small Business Center assists clients like you with commercial leasing, business, and litigation matters. As always, Our Goal Is to Help You Succeed™. For an appointment, you may call us at 1-866-842-5202 or use the contact form on our website. We represent clients throughout the State of Florida, including Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Pompano Beach, Sunrise, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Deerfield Beach, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Orlando, Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Tampa, and surrounding communities.