A lawsuit two years ago prompted national dry-cleaning organizations to urge their members not to charge more for women's clothes.

Ms. Sekiguchi's lawsuit is prompting debate on a practice that most Japanese couples have taken for granted.

Carl Covitz, Undersecretary of Housing, denied that the lawsuit had prompted speedier action.

In 2011, a lawsuit filed by an African American employee prompted the NAACP to boycott the park after the owners were accused of racial profiling.

The lawsuit prompted widespread comment from journalists, bloggers, and legal experts.

But lawsuits brought by fund shareholders in the last five years are prompting changes in fee structures.

But a recent lawsuit may prompt adults to think twice before escorting another person's daughter across state lines.

Mr. Allen, the Wal-Mart spokesman, insisted that the research, rather than the lawsuit, prompted the ads featuring the women.

The lawsuit prompted an e-mail message from M. Douglas Ivester, Coke's chairman and chief executive, saying that "we believe the lawsuit is without merit."

The lawsuit, which experts considered a long shot, still prompted the Justice Department and the S.E.C. to undertake their own investigations of the Nasdaq market.