Our proprietary research titled “When Lawsuits Make Headlines” offers insight into how companies should prepare for litigation communications and how they can leverage the media to effectively shape the court of public opinion.

This report is based on a comprehensive analysis of top-tier media coverage of U.S. corporate litigation. H/Advisors Abernathy team analyzed 785 cases involving at least one corporate litigant that were covered in 1,578 articles across Bloomberg, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023.

Key findings

• Media interest often peaks at the initial legal filing.
• Initial filings generated far more media coverage than responses to complaints, settlements or rulings, underscoring the importance for defendants of being prepared to respond quickly and effectively to the initial—and likely biggest—news cycle in the litigation.
• On-the-record statements are underutilized – most media articles about corporate litigation quoted legal filings.
• The U.S. District Courts of the Northern District of California, Southern District of New York, and District of Columbia generated the most media articles.
• Cases involving high-profile defendants operating largely in the heavily scrutinized tech and financial services industries topped media coverage.