Opportunity cost for the plaintiff in electronic legal proceedings : a study in the Union attorney in Goias

Abstract

The research aimed to measure the opportunity cost for to the plaintiff in electronics legal proceedings, considering the presentation of calculations by the Union Attorney in Goiás (PU-GO). We analyzed data from 654 legal proceedings from the period of January, 2007 to December, 2010, through a quantitative approach. The opportunity cost was measured by the rate of return, according to Brealey and Meyers (2003), and Assaf Neto (2003). The internal rate of return calculated for proceedings in which the plaintiff contested the calculations of PU-GO was positive in 3.23%, showing a gain for the contesting party. The average tests indicated that the calculations of PU-GO are significantly higher for the parties who agreed with them. Concerning the gender of the plaintiff, both the value received and the deadline for receiving are higher for the parties of male gender.