Ten reasons startups get sued, and one that never happens.

Out of hundreds of startup clients, here are the most common.

• Collections. Somebody owes someone some money, gotta pay. Includes debts and bankruptcy.

• Employment. Disgruntled employees claim mistreatment, maybe they have a point.

• Founder fallouts. A founder quits, leaves, or misbehaves. Litigation ensues.

• Stock ownership. Just how much stock does everyone own? Gotta be clear on this.

• Investigations and enforcement. Government regulators claim noncompliance.

• Customer complaints.

• Vendor disputes. Vendor didn't perform, files claim when not paid.

• Trademark names. Somebody stole your name or claims you stole theirs.

• Patent trolls. If you get too big, somebody wants to claim you stole their technology. Trademark and copyright trolls too.

• Typical accidents and losses. Negligence and other torts. Something blows up, a toilet overflows, somebody got hurt.

You want a reason nobody ever gets sued in a startup? Letting investors down, and investor remorse. No matter how poorly the startup performs, professional investors realize that you win a few and you lose a few, and chalk it up to experience.

Even if they have a good and righteous case, if a startup screws up so badly that investors want to sue, there is nothing left to sue for.