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Corporate litigation and debt

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  • Arena, Matteo P.

Abstract

This study examines the effect of litigation risk and litigation costs on firms’ credit ratings and debt financing. The results show that litigation affects a firm's creditworthiness and debt costs in two stages. Before a lawsuit filing, firms at higher risk of litigation have lower credit ratings, are more likely to be rated speculative grade, pay higher yields on loans and bonds, and are less likely to rely on debt financing. At the time of the lawsuit resolution, settlement costs have an additional effect on firm credit quality. Companies facing larger settlement disbursements in relation to their available cash experience a decline in credit ratings and an increase in yield spread. The results are robust to endogeneity concerns and different proxies of litigation risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Arena, Matteo P., 2018. "Corporate litigation and debt," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 202-215.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:87:y:2018:i:c:p:202-215
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2017.10.005
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    Cited by:

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    2. Hemant Kushwaha & Sanjay Kumar Mishra & Manoj Kumar, 2023. "Management of litigation risk by Indian MSMEs," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(2), pages 321-336, June.
    3. Yu, Miao & Guo, Yue Mei & Wang, Di & Gao, Xiaohan, 2021. "How do zombie firms affect debt financing costs of others: From spillover effects views," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    4. Qin, Jiaqi & Yang, Xue & He, Qing & Sun, Lingxia, 2021. "Litigation risk and cost of capital: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. Ra, Kyeongheum & Kim, Grace Goun, 2023. "Does litigation risk matter for managers’ asymmetric cost behavior?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    6. Huilin Zhang & Xiaoran Ni & Qi Jin, 2023. "Litigating crashes? Insights from security class actions," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(3), pages 2935-2963, September.
    7. Malm, James & Soyeh, Kenneth W. & Kanuri, Srinidhi, 2023. "Litigation risk and corporate performance," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    8. Anutchanat Jaroenjitrkam & Sirimon Treepongkaruna & Pornsit Jiraporn, 2022. "Does shareholder litigation risk promote or hinder corporate social responsibility? A quasi‐natural experiment," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(3), pages 657-674, May.
    9. Zhang, Lu & Peng, Fei & Shan, Yuan George & Chen, Yiping, 2023. "CEO social capital and litigation risk," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    10. Hongmin Jin & Lu Wang & Zuoping Xiao & Hung‐Gay Fung, 2023. "What firm risk factors drive bank loan pricing and other terms? Evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(3), pages 2985-3010, September.
    11. Nguyen, Nam H. & Phan, Hieu V. & Lee, Eunju, 2020. "Shareholder litigation rights and capital structure decisions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    12. Karol Marek Klimczak & Alejo José G. Sison & Maria Prats & Maximilian B. Torres, 2022. "How to Deter Financial Misconduct if Crime Pays?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(1), pages 205-222, August.
    13. Arena, Matteo P. & Wang, Bin & Yang, Rong, 2021. "Securities litigation and corporate tax avoidance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    14. Kubick, Thomas R. & Lockhart, G. Brandon & Mauer, David C., 2023. "Judge ideology and debt contracting," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    15. Xi Zhong & Ge Ren & XiaoJie Wu, 2022. "Not all stakeholders are created equal: executive vertical pay disparity and firms’ choice of internal and external CSR," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(8), pages 2495-2525, November.
    16. Liu, Ruiming & Si, Haiping & Miao, Miao, 2022. "One false step can make a great difference: Does corporate litigation cause the exit of the controlling shareholder?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    17. Do, Trung K. & Le, Anh-Tuan, 2022. "Shareholder litigation rights and labor investment efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PA).
    18. Ye, Zhiwei & Shahab, Yasir & Riaz, Yasir & Ntim, Collins G., 2023. "Strategic deviation and the cost of debt financing," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    19. Baban Eulaiwi & Ahmed Al‐Hadi & Lien Duong & Keira Clark & Grantley Taylor & Brian Perrin, 2022. "Audit pricing and corporate whistleblower governance: evidence from Australian financial firms," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(2), pages 2339-2384, June.
    20. Do, Trung K., 2021. "Shareholder litigation rights and corporate payout policy: Evidence from universal demand laws," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    21. Eliwa, Yasser & Aboud, Ahmed & Saleh, Ahmed, 2021. "ESG practices and the cost of debt: Evidence from EU countries," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    22. Yiwei Li & Wei Song & Tingyu Sun & Qingjing Zhang, 2023. "The impact of shareholder litigation risk on income smoothing," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 61(4), pages 1379-1413, November.
    23. Joo, Mohammad Hashemi & Lawrence, Edward & Parhizgari, Ali, 2021. "Securities litigation risk and board gender diversity," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    24. Tobias Basse & Christoph Schwarzbach & J.-Matthias Schulenburg, 2023. "Dividend policy issues in the European pharmaceutical industry: new empirical evidence," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 24(5), pages 803-816, July.
    25. Zhu, Ying & Huang, Ke, 2023. "Customers’ litigation risk and suppliers’ cash holding decision: From the perspective of risk contagion," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PB).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate debt; Credit ratings; Cost of debt; Litigation; Lawsuits;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • K22 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Business and Securities Law
    • K41 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Litigation Process

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