SGER: Understanding Social Impacts of High-Stakes Litigation Resolution in a Renewable Resource Community

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS

Investigators

Abstract

This project builds upon and extends research on social impacts resulting from resolution of class-action Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) litigation and payment of punitive damages. A 1994 jury verdict in Federal District Court in Anchorage, Alaska found Exxon negligent and awarded $287 million in compensatory damages and $5 billion in punitive damages to almost 33,000 individual plaintiffs. After numerous appeals by Exxon, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case and issued its ruling on June 25, 2008 (Exxon v. Baker). While the Court upheld the assertion that Exxon was liable, it slashed the punitive damage award to $507 million. Although shocked and disappointed by the reduction in punitive damages, plaintiffs were supposed to begin receiving checks in October/November 2008. This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) allows the research team to collect time-sensitive data in Cordova, Alaska?a community in which more than one-third of the population is a plaintiff. Since 1989, Cordova has been the focus of an ongoing community study of social impacts of the Exxon Valdez disaster, including NSF-funded research in 1991-1992. In 2000, the investigators received NSF funding to document social impacts from impending resolution of the high-stakes litigation. These and other funds were used to collect three types of data: 1) a cross-sectional telephone survey of the community and a control community in 2000 and 2006; 2) a survey of a panel of Alaska Natives and commercial fishermen in 2001 and 2006; and 3) a series of semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of Cordova stakeholder groups and residents in 2002-2003. This project provides funds to conduct another telephone survey of Cordova and conduct semi-structured interviews with a 30 previously interviewed individuals from the 2002-2003 study?forming a unique qualitative panel. The research will provide new insights into the psychological stress, social disruptions, and collective trauma experienced in communities affected by environmental disasters.