Media, vengeance, and litigation: Exploring the relationship between plaintiff attorney advertising and attitudes toward personal injury lawsuits

This study sought to examine the relationship between attitudes toward plaintiff's attorney television advertising and attitudes toward personal injury litigation. In addition, the study examined the personality construct of vengeance to determine if there was a mediating factor affecting individuals' reactions to this advertising. The study measured the same population targeted by this form of advertising; the sample included 200 adults, aged 18 and older, living in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. The results demonstrate that there is a statistically significant relationship between this form of television advertising and positive attitudes about the act of filing a personal injury lawsuit. The results further detail the statistically significant contribution of vengeance, advertising, and income on attitudes toward personal injury litigation. Previous studies have separately examined legal services advertising and vengeful behaviors. However, none has examined whether or not a desire for vengeance factors into the manner in which consumers receive and/or react to plaintiff's attorney advertising.