Your Money or Your Livelihood?

[95X]

I don't know that I've ever participated in "hypothetical discussions" that have taken place here before, but I thought of one. Also note that I'm not a fan of places that "we reserve the right" is used regularly.

Suppose someone was tried and acquitted of a serious person-to-person crime in which the entire media market—including reporters themselves—felt the defendant "got away with their crime", and that person decides to remain in that city/town.

Now suppose you're a business owner in a competitive market for this product/service within the same city/town, have a longstanding policy of "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" and painstaking documentation that the policy is applied "evenly and fairly".

The situation? The person that was tried and acquitted entered the business and was told by an employee that they were reserving the right and they were to leave because the business has a documented history of refusing service to others who were in a similar situation.

Now you, the business owner, have been served with civil court paperwork, both against your business and you personally. When you contact your attorney and they review the paperwork, they let you know you confidentially that you're in the wrong, the now-plaintiff has retained a better lawyer then you would be able to retain, and you have exactly two options:
1. Agree to non-bankruptable financial compensation that would be nearly impossible to pay off;
2. Settle outside of court by agreeing to both turn over your business to the plaintiff, and never own or operate another business again.

Which would you pick?

I'd pick the settlement, even if I didn't have another plan in life, because it seems more possible to move on. As far as making money goes, there's always wage labor and relocating.

[Aclion]

A competent lawyer. Accused people are not a protected class
Neener neener

[Bombadil]

Sign the contract for the second and then contest it as forced under duress and it's probably illegal anyway.

Use a better lawyer.

[Graces]

A good lawyer with a history of fighting off such stuff. Submitting to a wrong situation, will only put one back into the situation again at a later stage.

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

Oo hey 95X

As for me yeah I’d want a good lawyer

[Luziyca]

I'd get a better lawyer, in all honesty. I know a relative who'd do a better job than that.

[Victorious Decepticons]

Get a better lawyer, or if one really isn't affordable, test that adage about representing myself. Then go to court and petition for the case to be dismissed since, as Aclion said, accused people are not a protected class.

If I really had to pick one of the two, I'd pick #1 (monetary settlement) because there are loads of ways to slither out of actually paying that. Plus, I wouldn't agree to become some employee instead of owning a business, hell no! Finally, running the business means I can make enough money for a better lawyer, who can then shitcan the bogus agreement. As a result of said shitcanning, the plaintiff can't complain about me using my money for the lawyer instead of the agreement, because there won't be any agreement anymore.

[The Blaatschapen]

Go to the media. Since they already felt that the culprit already got away with the crime,you can just tell your side of this new story. Publish the civil court paperwork. Then let it ride to court.

[Ethel mermania]

The problem with the scenario is that under American law, the defense is in a better position than the plaintiff.

Assuming the opposite were correct, I agree with the sheep, i call the papers and tabloids and say look what this villain is trying to do, and get the citizens to drive him out of town. I

[Nobel Hobos 2]

I find it impossible to imagine myself in the position of a retail business owner. And thus incomprehensible to refuse service to someone based on -- basically -- gossip around town. This is a moral dilemma that I would never have to face.

IC:
I'm a hobo. My money and my livelihood are the same thing: nothing!

[The Two Jerseys]

Hire a competent and very expensive lawyer, engage in some character assassination via the media, go to trial, sit back and watch the clearly biased jury find in my favor, laugh as the other guy goes bankrupt trying to pay my court costs.

[Unstoppable Empire of Doom]

If this is in the US you need a better lawyer. Maybe one that actually knows how to lawyer. If this is in a stable country that has laws like this.... withdraw all you money, gather your valuables, and move to a country that is reasonable (the US will take anyone, if you got enough money though try somewhere in western europe or east asia). If this is a poor country, bribe someone, you can litterally get away with murder in most of africa and central america. A few thousand usd will make the case go away and get a retrial for the original case. Reverse uno eh?