On September 21-22, 2017 Professor Kish Parella hosted a scholarly roundtable on the information effects of litigation. The other participants were Sadie Blanchard (Yale), Nathan Cortez (SMU), Brandon Garrett (UVA), Jake Linford (FSU), Kathryn Sabbeth (UNC), and Roy Shapira (IDC). All participants exchanged working drafts exploring the information value of litigation, including the reputational benefits for plaintiff organizations and third party actors. The roundtable was sponsored by the Francis Lewis Law Center. Professor Parella presented her work in progress, “Public Relations Litigation” that examines the strategic use of lawsuits by corporations against other corporations for reputational repair functions. These corporations turn to litigation when a public scandal arises concerning the behavior of that corporation or, more often, a closely associated organization, such as a contractual partner or affiliated organization. Those organizations associated with the one “in the hot seat” may turn to litigation as a public forum to communicate their side of the story and otherwise distinguish themselves from their discredited associates.
