1.   The threat of a costly legal battle doomed the proposal.

2.   They were anxious to avoid a costly legal battle.

3.   American, for instance, became embroiled in a costly battle with its pilots last year after it agreed to buy tiny Reno Air.

4.   Chrysler and the Ford Motor Co. have started a potentially costly battle by increasing rebates and other incentives to customers, and they could force GM into the fray.

5.   In June, television was filled with commemorations of D-Day, another costly battle, which offered the consolation of beginning the liberation of Europe.

6.   Instead of proving easy operations against an enemy on the verge of collapse, Iwo Jima and Okinawa became costly battles of attrition.

7.   It is unlikely that the state could actually scuttle the deal, though it certainly could slow the approval process and force the banks into a costly legal battle.

8.   Last fall, after four decades of costly legal battles, the group was granted a tax exemption by the Internal Revenue Service.

9.   Rather than face costly legal battles over its responsibility under federal law to educate all children, the requests are usually rubber-stamped, said board member David Tokofsky.

10.   Such a sanction, he added, could lead to costly legal battles.