Greensboro, N.C. - Nearly two million dollars to defend Greensboro sounds like pennies when you hear why the city of New York shells out.
In 2011, the New York Business Journal reports the city paid out more than $550 million for lawsuits. Just think about how that money could have been used elsewhere.
Attorneys in New York even brag about their big wins, posting their victories on their websites. One New York attorney's website says the city paid nearly twelve million dollars to a man hit by a police car.
This is a prime example of why cities need strong legal teams.
"Your attorney or legal team has to tell you-here are the chances of winning or losing. Here are the probably effects if we settle, or if we fight. And, at the same time, of course, you're paying that attorney for the time to give you that advice," Elon Law Professor Howard Katz said.
When an attorney files a lawsuit against a city, officials usually have two options: try to settle it or fight it.
Even though it might be expensive to fight, the battle might pay for itself later on.
"If the city gets a reputation as a city that's going to fight every suit vigorously, it may have the effect of deterring some people from bringing those suits," Katz said.
Keep this in mind, if the city loses a large legal battle, the money has to come from somewhere. We all end up paying for it in the end.
WFMY News 2 has also reached out to other cities in the Triad and in North Carolina to see how much money they spend on lawsuits.