| Apologies are common utterances in everyday life. They are offered in recognition of a social predicament or a violated norm and often come in the form of an expression of remorse. Recently, legal scholars have emphasized apology's role in the legal system, especially in civil law. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a nursing home defendant's apology during a simulated civil trial. A one-way experimental research design evaluated the effects of a defendant's summary argument containing a full apology, partial apology or no mention of apology. Results generally demonstrate that a defendant's full apology did not influence liability assessments or damages awards compared to when the defendant made no mention of apology. The apologetic defendant did enjoy some positive benefits, but little data suggest that an apology accepting responsibility, offering repair, and promising forbearance benefited the defendant more than an equivocal expression of remorse. Findings enlighten the nature of apology in the legal system, specifically at trial, and provide some instruction for attorney-advocates taking nursing home litigation to jury trial. |
