Does litigation contingency disclosure in corporate filings matter? Evidence from securities class action lawsuits

Purpose We investigate the information content of legal contingency disclosures in corporate filings, specifically their usefulness in predicting settlement amounts and mitigation of market response to litigation resolution news. Design/methodology/approach Using a hand-collected sample of disclosures for settled US securities class action lawsuits, we analyze the contents of the contingent liabilities disclosure before future settlements and classify them into two categories: “pessimistic” and “optimistic” disclosures. We examine whether the tone of disclosure is associated with litigation outcomes, such as settlement amounts and likelihood of incurring material losses, and its effect on market reaction to settlement announcements. Findings Disclosures with optimistic views on lawsuits are settled for lower amounts, whereas those with more pessimistic views result in higher settlements. Furthermore, while, on average, investors react negatively to litigation resolutions, the market reaction is attenuated (exacerbated) when a prior legal liability disclosure was pessimistic (optimistic). Additionally, investors value disclosure consistency when a litigation outcome is aligned with its legal contingency disclosure. Finally, disclosure consistency is positively associated with managerial ownership as well as the largest shareholder ownership. Originality/value This study highlights that the overall tone in legal contingency disclosures is informative and has valuation implications for capital markets. It also highlights the benefits of consistent disclosure, i.e. litigation disclosure aligned with litigation outcomes, as it is viewed positively by investors.