Recently I helped a lady who was owed a paltry $726.00 for some consulting work. However, the person for whom she was providing the consulting services was making unsubstantiated allegations about the work she had carried out.
The strategy was to go on the front foot. I drafted some letters and e-mails for her to send:
(a) refuting the allegations;
(b) explaining how the other person’s allegations and actions had caused her to lose her next position, which was worth $60k/year;
(c) advising that, since she was an independent contractor, copyright in any of the works she produced remained with her.
The enemy refuted the allegation made against them, but paid the $726.00.
However, my client received a further letter from the enemy’s lawyer that arrived by e-mail at 5.15pm on a Friday which caused her to be rather stressed. Luckily I was still in the office and luckier still, I answered the phone. The last e-mail she sent that evening merely thanked the lawyer for the 5.15pm e-mail and stated that she was not going to engage further, other than to state that she disagreed with most of the contents of the attached letter.
That has been the end of the matter.
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