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Comment by davidwritesbugs | Hacker News Reader

As an ex-lawyer I'd say this was 100% a good decision. As a profession we make our living off people who say "Dammit I won't pay, it's the principle, it's wrong & immoral." I, and I suspect many other lawyers, would always reply that principles cost a fortune in money time and grey hairs. I had plenty of clients and didn't need to litigate for billable hours.

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... if you live/do business in the US. Over the decades, I had quite a lot of this situations in parts of our company or the company as a whole; here you cannot get anything done in this case (most cases didn't go to court as they were too silly, the ones that did we won and we didn't even turn up; just our lawyer while the opposition sat there wasting their time). If you get it to court at all (which is a problem to begin with), it will go no-where and 'the broker' will just lose money and time.

A system where you have to pay bullies because it's cheaper and easier than defending yourself is broken.

Upvote, just because you seem to entertain the notion that "the system" wasn't broken. I haven't heard anyone argue that way in a very long time, and it's refreshing.

If you have a case that’s very likely to win, the broker would know that too. Would they want to pay legal fees to chase a fee they are likely not going to get? I think it was a bad decision to pay.

> As an ex-lawyer I'd say this was 100% a good decision

For him personally. He complained that the double-asterisk hole acted in self-interest. Then he did the same.

one acted in self interest by trying to take advantage of the other.

one acted in self interest by effectively paying the other to go away.

your comment is acting in self-interest.

so is mine.

but you don’t really think these all the same. so what point are you actually trying to prove?

Some people refuse to pay blackmailers, not out of self interest, but because it's the right thing to do.

one situation had two individuals interacting ostensibly for the betterment of both.

a bit different from kidnapping.

or are you saying you always do the right thing? that would be rather incredible.

It's great for lawyers if everyone thinks like that.

I can say it safe in the knowledge that most people will not believe it. I'm an ex-lawyer and have no skin in the game any more.

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