When Halliburton announced in November that it would stop providing health insurance for its retirees who are eligible for Medicare, some got upset.

Three wrote the company complaining about the change that's scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 and promptly got sued -- by Halliburton.

"I was flabbergasted," said Paul Bryant, one the three complaining executives and a former vice president of human resources for Halliburton until he retired in 1999.

The fact that Halliburton is dropping health benefits for its retirees in favor of Medicare is nothing new in today's business world.

That they were sued for complaining is relatively new.

Halliburton must have figured the retirees would eventually sue and made a pre-emptive strike, said Joe Ahmad, an employment lawyer with Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos in Houston.

It's an unusual tactic in an employment case, said Ahmad, who is not involved in the dispute. But by suing first, Halliburton can choose where the case is filed and will have a chance to present its case first.

"A lot of times, you can win before the other side can even speak," Ahmad said.

Indeed, the skepticism regarding a national settlement of asbestos claims has caused a number of large public companies to cut their own deals. Halliburton, for example, is moving ahead with a plan to reorganize its DII Industries, Kellogg Brown & Root and other affected subsidiaries under the protection of the U.S. bankruptcy code. More than 20 insurance companies want a judge to dismiss the Halliburton bankruptcy, which is a key part of the company's $4 billion settlement of all current and future asbestos claims. The insurers argue that a financially healthy company such as Halliburton should not be allowed to use bankruptcy to gain a tactical advantage in litigation against asbestos claimants.