Frustrations dealing with legal issues

It’s really frustrating dealing with legal issues.

As I mentioned before, Platinax is facing a legal challenge.

I removed the allegedly defamatory remarks, and that should be the end of it.

However, the company involved has a very aggressive solicitor who is demanding any information held on the forum posters who complained about the company in question. Apparently, so they can threaten legal action against alleged disatisfied customers.

As Platinax is run as a limited company, there’s no way we can give out confidential info simply on the basis of legal threats - it would be damn unprofessional to do so without the relevant court order.

The twist is that Platinax is a Scottish company and falls under the jurisdiction of the Scottish courts. And I have good legal advice to the effect that so long as I don’t contest the action, the Scottish courts would be unlikely to award costs against Platinax.

But, the solicitor dealing with this is trying to aggressively to cajole me into handing over member details regardless, on the threat of facing extensive legal costs.

The basic situation seems to be that here is a company throwing its weight around. After all, how can individuals and small businesses afford to resist a multi-million pound company that appears intent on crushing all complaint with legal action?

Especially when they threaten action not simply against Platinax, but also me personally, and my marketing company Britecorp Ltd.

They have the budget to take action even where there’s no reasonable legal claim, but smaller businesses such as my own are more vulnerable to costs. I’m told that in litigation a client is lucky to get half to two-thirds their costs if they win.

I was planning to send out a press release tonight, simply relating the facts of this matter. The issue of webmaster liabilities is a very real issue. I had my solicitor go through the press release to make sure I wasn’t repeating any allegedly defamatory remarks.

However, sending out the press release could inevitably invite the company in question to set up Platinax, Britecorp, and myself up for crippling legal battles I don’t want to invite, but they can afford.

Platinax *will* require an order from the Scottish Courts to collect forum data from the site, but in the meantime, I feel I just have to keep quiet while this bully of a company continues to threaten.