Title

Disaster, Litigation, And The Corrosive Community

Abstract

Disaster researchers have debated the utility of distinguishing "natural" from "technological" catastrophes. We suggest that litigation serves as a source of chronic stress for victims of human-caused disasters involved in court deliberations for damages. Data from the Exxon Valdez oil spill are used to evaluate a social structural model of disaster impacts three and one-half years after the event. Results suggest that the status of litigant and litigation stress serve as prominent sources of perceived community damage and event-related psychological stress. We conclude that litigation is a critical characteristic of technological disasters that precludes timely community recovery and promotes chronic social and psychological impacts. Suggestions for alternatives to litigation are provided.

Publication Date

1-1-2004

Publication Title

Social Forces

Volume

82

Issue

4

Number of Pages

1493-1522

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.2004.0091

Socpus ID

3042776197 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/3042776197

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS