Auditor Liability Risk

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of financial reporting quality on the relationship between stock price crash risk and litigation risk against auditors. Design/methodology/approach: This research utilizes multivariate regression to analyze the hypotheses. The statistical population of this study includes all firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange, with 131 firms selected using a systematic elimination sampling method. The study covers a period of 9 years, from 2014 to 2022. Results: The testing of the first hypothesis revealed a direct and significant relationship between stock price crash risk and litigation risk against auditors. The second hypothesis demonstrated that financial reporting quality has a significant and inverse relationship with stock price crash risk and litigation risk against auditors. Additionally, financial reporting quality was found to have a significant and inverse relationship with litigation risk against auditors. Innovation: This research provides evidence that stock price crash risk can increase auditors' litigation risk, and suggests that financial reporting quality can play a crucial role in this context.