Marine contract actions
Federal civil · Contract · 70,279 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
70,279
Cases filed
82.6%
Ended before a merits judgment
58,054 of 70,279 cases
79.1%
Plaintiff win
of 12,225 merits judgments
14.2%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed46.3%
- Settled33.1%
- Plaintiff win13.8%
- Defendant win2.5%
- Transferred1.7%
- Other0.9%
- Decided — other0.7%
- Remanded0.6%
- Mixed0.5%
- Affirmed0%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, S.D. New York20,663 cases · 1,674 decided80.2%
- District Court, S.D. Florida8,317 cases · 2,037 decided89.7%
- District Court, E.D. Louisiana6,303 cases · 1,164 decided61.2%
- District Court, S.D. Texas5,810 cases · 669 decided56.5%
- District Court, D. New Jersey2,852 cases · 589 decided85.1%
- District Court, W.D. Washington2,604 cases · 504 decided81.2%
- District Court, C.D. California2,518 cases · 449 decided86.6%
- District Court, D. Puerto Rico2,168 cases · 842 decided88.6%
- District Court, M.D. Florida2,100 cases · 491 decided84.9%
- District Court, E.D. New York1,658 cases · 485 decided90.1%
- District Court, N.D. California1,341 cases · 265 decided75.8%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts998 cases · 256 decided75%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania977 cases · 100 decided81%
- District Court, D. Maryland919 cases · 188 decided81.4%
- District Court, S.D. Alabama832 cases · 151 decided80.8%
- District Court, D. South Carolina760 cases · 130 decided81.5%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia680 cases · 155 decided74.8%
- District Court, D. Alaska664 cases · 190 decided82.6%
- District Court, D. Connecticut599 cases · 154 decided79.2%
- District Court, W.D. Louisiana553 cases · 116 decided58.6%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois523 cases · 112 decided72.3%
- District Court, S.D. California467 cases · 180 decided68.9%
- District Court, E.D. Texas452 cases · 81 decided72.8%
- District Court, S.D. Georgia435 cases · 43 decided72.1%
- District Court, D. Oregon415 cases · 102 decided69.6%
- District Court, D. Hawaii341 cases · 97 decided72.2%
- District Court, D. Rhode Island313 cases · 80 decided80%
- District Court, D. Maine307 cases · 110 decided81.8%
- District Court, S.D. Mississippi271 cases · 46 decided76.1%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan263 cases · 51 decided72.5%
Source: FJC Integrated Database (public domain), via CourtListener — federal civil cases filed and terminated, 1988–present. Figures are descriptive statistics about how cases of a given type have closed in a given court. They describe the historical record — not a prediction or assessment of any specific case. Not legal advice.