[pempem]

They can sue but do you know what the return of the suit is? Do you get your cash or do you spend cash + get less than what you were owed?

Most things settle and they settle for far less than the original amount. "It's just not worth it" the individual says. That's what Musk and others bank on.

[blibble]

does the US not have something like the UKs functioning county court system?

upto about $250,000, you pay a nominal fee, both sides represent themselves, you get whatever's owed + they pay your fees if you win

you have to pay their nominal fee and your own if you lose

and if they don't pay what's owed at that point you can send in the bayliff or begin winding up the company

with something like an unpaid lease for an office it would be over and done more or less instantly

[flutas]

It sounds like you're describing small claims court in the US.

Basically no lawyers, only you and only up to a certain amount (varies by state, usually ~5-10k$).

[rsynnott]

In some countries it really is a lot easier to force a company to pay a debt; it can proceed to winding-up/bankruptcy/whatever pretty quickly if the debtor company is uncooperative.

As I understand it, US small claims court is _not_ like this; practical enforcement powers are usually fairly limited.

[pempem]

Also any commercial lease of this size would easily and immediately outstrip small claims' needs.

In general the attitude of big business or HNI is pay a lawyer, reduce the cost you actually pay to the vendor. Get a bulk pricing on lawyer hours (Retainer, tons of active issues anyway, etc)

It looks bad to us because we spend a lifetime being upfront and on it with obligations. We literally never want to be evicted but like any crime that has a fine, it is not really a crime. It is a price of doing business a certain way and the question is simply whether you can afford it.