ABSTRACT

Prior research on legal repression shows how elites use criminal law to demobilize collective challenges, yet social control efforts based in civil law have received inadequate attention. In this study, we develop the concept of elite legal framing to examine how corporations deploy “soft” forms of repression within the civil justice system. Drawing on court, government, and media documents, we analyze a series of transnational civil litigation cases over pesticide exposure on Dole-contracted banana plantations in Nicaragua. Results highlight how the corporate defendants promoted a corruption narrative that diffused through the media and legal system to successfully discredit farmworker claims.

摘要

先前对法律镇压的研究表明，精英如何利用刑法来解除集体挑战，但基于民法的社会控制努力并未得到足够的重视。在这项研究中，我们提出了精英法律框架的概念，以研究公司如何在民事司法系统中部署“软”形式的压制。利用法院、政府和媒体文件，我们分析了一系列涉及尼加拉瓜都乐承包香蕉种植园农药暴露的跨国民事诉讼案件。结果突出了公司被告如何通过媒体和法律系统传播腐败叙事，以成功抹黑农场工人的主张。