What should I do if I’m threatened with legal action?

I run a lot of web sites and publish personal opinions and findings on many of them to generate content for the users. I use the traffic these sites generate as a platform for advertising and online product sales. The problem? From time to time I have published negative comments about other companies and individuals. While these statements are always my personal opinion and therefore not libelous, I’ve been threatened with legal action on more than one occasion.

Fortunately, this is a pretty rare occurrence and my usual method in dealing with it is to avoid the hassle of litigation by altering blog posts or printing retractions. But this is really starting to bug me. How many other people are getting pushed around by lawyers simply because it’s easier and cheaper to comply than to fight?

Here’s what I think I’m going to start doing. I’m a pretty upstanding person and am comfortable admitting my mistakes and apologizing for them. If I get a polite email from someone with an honest complaint, I’m going to recognize their problem and try to help them.

If I get a blanket threat of legal action where I don’t think I’m in the wrong I’m going to do nothing. I’m not going to print retractions, and I’m not going to apologize. As soon as I get a threat for legal action, I will cease communication with the individual and do nothing to satisfy their requests. I’m not going to respond to emails (they always come via email) in a positive or negative way. I’m going to sit in my office and wait for a summons. When that comes, I’ll deal with the issue either by defending myself or getting a lawyer to help me. A counter suit might be a good idea as well.

Who’s with me?