50 Word Response 1

Suppose you are a public relations practitioner who works in a boutique firm where you are the CEO.  One day the CEO Atlantic Oil Company comes to you and asks if you will represent them during an upcoming lawsuit.  Atlantic has a history of cutting corners on safety for its oil refineries.  Three months ago one of Atlantic's oil refineries in Brownsville, Texas exploded killing 8 employees and seriously injuring 50 others.  You ask the Atlantic Oil CEO what caused the explosion.  The CEO of Atlantic says, "Well....the employees' families say we didn't maintain proper safety standards, which to be honest we probably didn't.  However, we're fighting this lawsuit because they want over 50 million dollars for each victim plus medical and pain and suffering for the 50 injured workers.  We can't pay all that, especially in light of declining gas prices."  You agree to do PR for Atlantic.

Part of your strategy is to highlight Atlantic's efforts specifically the community programs set up by Atlantic for those families affected by the explosion.  You meet with Atlantic's legal team once, and they say that you need to run all press releases through their firm.  You sometimes comply, sometimes not depending on how fast you want the release issued.  You deflect any questions about the lawsuit when asked by the press, but state that Atlantic Oil is very concerned about the welfare of its employees and safety of its refineries.

One day you receive a subpoena from the law firm representing the victims of the explosion.  The firm's representative wants you to give a deposition on what you know about the explosion.  The first question he asks is whether the CEO of Atlantic made any admissions of fault during your initial meeting.  He also wants all records of your PR work done for Atlantic.  In particular he wants you to provide the initial drafts of any releases you gave to Atlantic's legal team before their lawyers proofed and edited them.  Do you have to do this?  Why or why not. 

Use this article to assist you in your answer  http://www.instituteforpr.org/litigation-and-public-relations-four-questions-every-practitioner-should-ask/