Who Framed Roger Rabbit: The Effect of Legal Role and Frame on the Outcome of Civil Disputes

The present study investigated the effect of framing and legal role on the propensity to settle by litigants in simulated legal disputes. Participants were given four different scenarios which factorially combined legal role, plaintiff vs. defendant, and frame, positive or gain vs. negative or loss. Participants also indicated their subjective probability of winning. The results indicated that positively framed litigants were more willing to settle than negatively framed litigants. Furthermore, this analysis revealed that the propensity to settle was a joint function of frame and the perceived chance of winning, with no systematic effect of legal role. Accordingly, we suggest that framing manipulations may be able to influence the rate of negotiated settlements of legal disputes.