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Four years after his $14 million exit, Chad discovered the "standard market terms" his lawyer promised would protect him contained loopholes that transformed his dream exit into a multi-million-dollar litigation nightmare.

Harold, an exit-ready business owner, was honest during due diligence and, to his knowledge, disclosed everything in the deal. However, the buyer spent six months digging, found problems, and closed the deal anyway. They then sued Harold for $11 million using his own transparency against him—and won $3.9 million. Discover why due diligence doesn't protect sellers, it arms buyers, and the one contractual clause that could have saved him millions.

A Fortune 500 company promised founder Allison up to $3 million in earnout payments, then systematically dismantled her business. After years of litigation and a million dollars in legal fees, she learned a brutal truth: even when buyers follow the letter of the law, they can destroy the spirit of your deal. Here's how to protect yourself from earnout manipulation.