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Disaster, Litigation, and the Corrosive Community
- Social Forces
- The University of North Carolina Press
- Volume 82, Number 4, June 2004
- pp. 1493-1522
- 10.1353/sof.2004.0091
- Article
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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.