Overpayments & enforcement of judgments
Federal civil · Contract · 14,369 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
14,369
Cases filed
69.9%
Ended before a merits judgment
10,044 of 14,369 cases
80.5%
Plaintiff win
of 4,325 merits judgments
14.1%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed42.6%
- Plaintiff win24.2%
- Settled18.6%
- Defendant win4.2%
- Other3.5%
- Transferred2.7%
- Remanded2.6%
- Decided — other1.1%
- Mixed0.6%
- 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. Texas874 cases · 162 decided63.6%
- District Court, D. Nebraska870 cases · 64 decided60.9%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan765 cases · 277 decided82.7%
- District Court, S.D. New York640 cases · 158 decided72.2%
- District Court, S.D. Florida544 cases · 90 decided78.9%
- District Court, N.D. Texas450 cases · 105 decided68.6%
- District Court, D. South Carolina445 cases · 233 decided98.7%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts368 cases · 120 decided75%
- District Court, N.D. Ohio368 cases · 198 decided93.4%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois346 cases · 87 decided81.6%
- District Court, E.D. New York299 cases · 77 decided90.9%
- District Court, D. New Jersey298 cases · 100 decided79%
- District Court, C.D. California293 cases · 70 decided74.3%
- District Court, W.D. Tennessee280 cases · 42 decided92.9%
- District Court, S.D. Indiana265 cases · 67 decided79.1%
- District Court, W.D. North Carolina261 cases · 80 decided72.5%
- District Court, D. Nevada258 cases · 50 decided66%
- District Court, D. Maryland243 cases · 95 decided85.3%
- District Court, E.D. Texas190 cases · 31 decided74.2%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia188 cases · 58 decided77.6%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania180 cases · 75 decided94.7%
- District Court, E.D. California177 cases · 32 decided65.6%
- District Court, M.D. North Carolina171 cases · 43 decided62.8%
- District Court, M.D. Florida167 cases · 37 decided83.8%
- District Court, D. Connecticut163 cases · 75 decided89.3%
- District Court, W.D. Washington162 cases · 43 decided69.8%
- District Court, S.D. Iowa159 cases · 40 decided85%
- District Court, W.D. Texas157 cases · 34 decided73.5%
- District Court, E.D. Louisiana150 cases · 56 decided71.4%
- District Court, D. Puerto Rico148 cases · 45 decided80%
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.