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huge investment of time required in helping your lawyer understand the facts that led you to either bring the lawsuit or to be sued . You might also have to appear to testify either in court or at a deposition , where the other side ’ s attorney gets to ask you questions about the incident at issue . Your testimony in court or at the deposition could last anywhere from a few hours to several days and will require hours of preparation time with your lawyer . If you have the right case , an organization , such as AJC , may be willing to pay the costs of the lawsuit to the extent permitted under the law .
Unintended Outcome Bringing a lawsuit may not always result in your desired outcome . In fact , there is even the potential that your lawsuit will establish a harmful precedent that remains part of American law , potentially forever . In addition , bringing a lawsuit may suggest that Israel cannot win in the battle of ideas .
Duration If your lawsuit is not settled shortly after being filed , the litigation could last years — possibly after you have graduated . Thus , even a good outcome in the litigation may be irrelevant for you personally .
Counter Lawsuits And Anti-Slapp Statutes Initiating a lawsuit may cause the party you sue to assert his or her own claims against you putting you on the defensive . Additionally , many states have enacted what are known as anti-SLAPP statutes , which stands for “ Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation .” These statutes are intended to prevent individuals from bringing weak civil lawsuits to stop others from expressing their viewpoints by imposing substantial fines and penalties on individuals who bring such actions . If your state has implemented an anti-SLAPP statute , the party you sue could try to get the lawsuit thrown out on that ground .