ABSTRACT
Mass tort multidistrict litigation (MDL) cases have gradually become a dominant component of the US federal civil caseload. At the same time, plaintiffs’ lawyers who specialize in mass tort MDLs have spent millions of dollars on TV advertisements seeking clients. What is the effect of mass tort TV advertisements on MDL filings? We use proprietary data on the universe of mass tort TV advertisements since 2012, at the media market level, and we match it to Federal Judicial Center data on all filings that are transferred to an MDL. Because spending on TV advertisements is endogenous, we estimate our model using the ‘shock’ to attorney advertising caused by the political cycle. We find that mass tort advertisements have a sizable effect on MDL filings.
Helland, Eric A and Givati, Yehonatan, Mass Tort Advertising and Multidistrict Litigation Filings (December 12, 2024).
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