It seems that everyone these days is getting sued. Though you may shudder to think about the reality of the situation, some individuals even make a career out of suing businesses. If your company is not prepared, you will learn the hard way that the courts often side with these individuals raising lawsuits at the expense of your company’s reputation and financial health. For this reason, it is essential for every business owner to take measures to prevent the most common and costly mistakes over which their business is likely to be sued.
A Poorly Written Contract
A lot of businesses enter into legal contracts with their employees, clients or even other businesses. The trouble with a contract is that you are legally bound to live up to the promises and provisions outlined in this agreement. Failure to do what you have promised in a contract is nothing short of a lawsuit waiting to happen. For this reason, it is essential to not only make sure the contracts you enter into are well written, but you also want to be certain they provide your company with artfully-crafted escape clauses in case there is any trouble in not living up to your end of the agreement down the road.
Slip and Fall
The term “slip and fall” is commonly represented on national television commercials as one of the leading reasons some attorney firms are in business. They remind the populace about this litigation option because these attorney firms know that there is big money to be made in suing businesses. These types of attorney firms cannot wait to get your company in court. As a result, it is a smart idea to have someone on staff who has an online safety degree and expertise in safety, security and emergency management procedures. These individuals will know how to help keep simple problems like “slip and fall” accidents from occurring, along with knowing how to prevent more serious lawsuit-worthy situations.
Personal Data Leaks
According to LawyersandSettlements.com, data-breach-based lawsuits are on the rise. Since companies are responsible for maintaining the personal data of clients they gather, data breaches open the door to all sorts of opportunities for identity theft and for hackers to get rich off selling acquired personal data from your company’s VPN. While the hackers are typically never caught, this leaves the company that was hacked as the only responsible party to be dragged through the courts for compensation; hence, it makes sense to make it impossible for your company’s data to be breached to avoid potential lawsuits.
ASCAP and Copyright Infringements
Something that gets a lot of companies in trouble, often as an unsuspected risk, occurs when employees of a company decide to play music in your place of business. If you think watchdog groups like ASCAP, BMI and SESAC are not itching to drag companies into court for license and copyright infringement, you are sadly mistaken.
These companies take great pleasure in milking companies in lawsuit after lawsuit on these very grounds. To make matters worse, the music industry hosts some of the most aggressive lawyers on the planet. So if you are going to be playing commercial music on your company’s premises, you need to make sure you have paid all relevant licensing fees before risking litigation in this area of operations.
A lawsuit is the last thing your company wants to have to face. This is doubly the case when it is over something that is easily prevented. Every lawsuit you prevent your company from being bothered with will both secure your company’s reputation and its financial health; consequently, it makes sense to take measures that will keep your company out of harm’s way in such areas.
About Anica:
Anica is a professional content and copywriter who graduated from the University of San Francisco. She loves dogs, the ocean, and anything outdoor-related. She was raised in a big family, so she’s used to putting things to a vote. Also, cartwheels are her specialty. You can connect with Anica here.
