Capability III
THE CASE
One story. Built before the defense builds theirs.
At a Glance
The Problem
Defense narrative strategy begins before you file. FTI’s issues workshops produce the story the defense will tell: the science is unsettled, the plaintiffs’ injuries have alternative explanations, the company acted responsibly. That story is tested, refined, and placed in third-party channels before your first deposition. By the time you reach trial, the narrative has been running for years.
In Practice
Case Reference
In the Johns Hopkins litigation involving 9,000 plaintiffs and a $190M settlement, VIS developed the plaintiff narrative before the institution’s communications response had hardened. One story, consistent across every plaintiff, every media placement, and every public statement by counsel. The settlement press campaign produced one million impressions in a single day — without a single plaintiff going off-message.
What VIS Does
VIS develops the plaintiff narrative before the defense builds theirs. Not a press strategy. The case itself, told as a human story — specific, emotionally true, and built to hold through three years of litigation. THE CASE also integrates directly with class certification strategy: the plaintiff narrative is built to serve the legal argument, not run parallel to it.
- Core narrative framework — the human story that explains why this case exists
- Theme development — tested language that holds across plaintiff demographics and injury types
- Messaging architecture — what every attorney, every spokesperson, every plaintiff says consistently
- Class certification integration — narrative built to support common questions argument
- Opposition narrative assessment — what the defense will say and how to preempt it
- Narrative testing — evaluated against the plaintiff community for authenticity and resonance