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From what you said, you sound like you have a fairly straightforward winning case. Like you said, the minimum is there for this very reason.
A couple other things to look for in the contract and think about:
1. Is there an attorney's fee provision? (i.e., if you win, do you get to tack your attys fees onto the claim?) That makes a big difference in your analysis, and in future settlement negotiations. Because you have a strong case, an attys fee provision will make the other side very nervous. It raises the stakes for them - what may be a relatively small problem can blow up into a huge problem if they don't get it resolved.
2. Is the other side solvent/do they have assets? One easy way for a party to defeat a lawsuit is be be judgment-proof. Hopefully they have a real business, with some roots and assets, and are therefore forced to deal with this.
3. What does the jurisdiction and venue provision say? You said "USA" but is there something more specific? A certain state or federal court? Is it the exclusive jurisdiction? You should know where you'd be suing.
4. How much is involved? Obviously, the analysis is different if they owe you $1,000 or $1,000,000.
I'm sure HD's cousin is a good guy, but for this type of matter, I'd NOT call the Sullivan and Cromwell in New York, lol, they'd probably be one of the last firms I'd call. That's not an appropriate firm for this type of small side business matter.
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