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Corporate litigation and changes in CEO reputation: Guidance from U.S. Federal Court lawsuits

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  • Liu, Chelsea
  • Aharony, Joseph
  • Richardson, Grant
  • Yawson, Alfred

Abstract

This study examines corporate litigation and changes in CEO reputation. Based on a sample of 9959 filed and settled environmental, antitrust, intellectual property (IP) and contractual lawsuits in the U.S. Federal Courts over the 2000–2007 period, we find that CEOs experience poorer reemployment prospects following contractual lawsuits. Additionally, reputational consequences depend significantly on the nature of the allegation and lawsuit merit. We also observe that IP lawsuits are associated with an increase in the number of outside board seats; no penalties follow politically sensitive environmental lawsuits. Overall, our findings contribute to the extant literature on market-based penalties for corporate wrongdoing.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Chelsea & Aharony, Joseph & Richardson, Grant & Yawson, Alfred, 2016. "Corporate litigation and changes in CEO reputation: Guidance from U.S. Federal Court lawsuits," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 15-34.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jocaae:v:12:y:2016:i:1:p:15-34
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcae.2016.02.003
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    2. Moreno Domínguez, María Jesús & Martín Zamora, María Pilar & Serrano Czaia, Isabel & Rodríguez Ariza, Lázaro, 2022. "Reputation and leadership: a study about reputational transfer in family and non-family firms," Cuadernos de Gestión, Universidad del País Vasco - Instituto de Economía Aplicada a la Empresa (IEAE).
    3. Ni, Xiaoran & Yin, Sirui, 2018. "Shareholder litigation rights and the cost of debt: Evidence from derivative lawsuits," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 169-186.
    4. Liu, Chelsea, 2018. "Are women greener? Corporate gender diversity and environmental violations," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 118-142.
    5. Zhang, Lu & Peng, Fei & Shan, Yuan George & Chen, Yiping, 2023. "CEO social capital and litigation risk," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    6. Nguyen, Nam H. & Phan, Hieu V. & Lee, Eunju, 2020. "Shareholder litigation rights and capital structure decisions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    7. Unsal, Omer & Brodmann, Jennifer, 2020. "The impact of employee relations on the reputation of the board of directors and CEO," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 372-388.
    8. Roman Lanis & Grant Richardson & Chelsea Liu & Ross McClure, 2019. "The Impact of Corporate Tax Avoidance on Board of Directors and CEO Reputation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 463-498, December.
    9. Degl'Innocenti, Marta & Fiordelisi, Franco & Song, Wei & Zhou, Si, 2023. "Shareholder litigation and bank risk," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).

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