Meanwhile, in the cases like that of former International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, it is not illegality at issue, but rather a media frenzy that quickly developed a life and momentum of its own in both tabloid and “elite” media—regardless of the actual facts.

So what can such sensational legal matters teach corporations—and their internal and external lawyers—about the management of media and public perception during litigation and other disputes?