Stockholder's suits
Federal civil · Contract · 11,368 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
11,368
Cases filed
85.3%
Ended before a merits judgment
9,695 of 11,368 cases
30%
Plaintiff win
of 1,673 merits judgments
54.6%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed49%
- Settled22.5%
- Defendant win8%
- Transferred5.5%
- Remanded4.7%
- Plaintiff win4.4%
- Other3.6%
- Decided — other1.2%
- Mixed1.1%
- 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 York1,300 cases · 200 decided21.5%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts776 cases · 96 decided21.9%
- District Court, N.D. California588 cases · 115 decided22.6%
- District Court, C.D. California494 cases · 33 decided36.4%
- District Court, D. New Jersey454 cases · 52 decided25%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois429 cases · 60 decided28.3%
- District Court, D. Colorado354 cases · 84 decided67.9%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania327 cases · 21 decided—
- District Court, S.D. Florida315 cases · 20 decided—
- District Court, D. Delaware307 cases · 26 decided—
- District Court, E.D. New York288 cases · 32 decided31.3%
- District Court, D. Nevada268 cases · 51 decided21.6%
- District Court, M.D. Florida246 cases · 20 decided—
- District Court, N.D. Texas240 cases · 38 decided34.2%
- District Court, S.D. Texas232 cases · 20 decided—
- District Court, D. Maryland216 cases · 44 decided43.2%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan188 cases · 43 decided34.9%
- District Court, N.D. Ohio184 cases · 27 decided—
- District Court, S.D. Ohio150 cases · 15 decided—
- District Court, S.D. California148 cases · 47 decided12.8%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia144 cases · 10 decided—
- District Court, D. Connecticut143 cases · 24 decided—
- District Court, N.D. Georgia141 cases · 19 decided—
- District Court, W.D. Washington140 cases · 18 decided—
- District Court, D. Arizona131 cases · 34 decided32.4%
- District Court, D. Minnesota131 cases · 35 decided17.1%
- District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania118 cases · 20 decided—
- District Court, D. Utah116 cases · 15 decided—
- District Court, E.D. Louisiana109 cases · 22 decided—
- District Court, D. South Carolina102 cases · 15 decided—
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.