Contract product liability

Federal civil · Contract · 12,227 cases filed and closed (1988–present).

12,227

Cases filed

89%

Ended before a merits judgment

10,876 of 12,227 cases

43.8%

Plaintiff win

of 1,351 merits judgments

45.7%

Defendant win

of merits judgments

Most cases never reach a ruling on the merits. Of 12,227 filed, 89% closed without one — settled, dismissed, transferred, or remanded. The win rates above describe only the 1,351 that a judge actually decided.

How they closed

Settled36.7%
Dismissed31.1%
Transferred10.4%
Remanded6.2%
Defendant win5%
Plaintiff win4.8%
Other4.6%
Mixed0.6%
Decided — other0.6%
Affirmed0%

Where you file matters

The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.

Read the law behind contract product liability

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.