When the state of Florida came after Alltel Com­munications Inc. alleging unfair trade practices, the company might have settled — that’s what most companies in that situation would have done, said litigator Marcos Daniel Jiménez.

“These cases are brought by [attorneys general] all over the country, and what you end up seeing a lot is that companies don’t want to go to trial because they’re afraid of adverse publicity,” Jiménez said.