You can avoid costly lawsuits by talking to your customers and owning up to mistakes.
There was nothing particularly scary about Linda's trip to the hospital. She was in for relatively mundane ankle surgery. When she awoke after the surgery, she was astonished to learn that she was recovering from an open heart operation. The anesthesiologist had injected pain killer in the wrong place. As a result, Linda's heart stopped and she had to have her chest opened and ribs cut in order for the doctor to restart it.
Linda's husband was preparing to exact vengeance on the anesthesiologist and had already begun discussions with an attorney. Then Linda received a stunning letter from the anesthesiologist which led to a face-to-face meeting that changed the whole landscape of the conflict. Linda dropped the lawsuit.