Contract franchise

Federal civil · Contract · 5,680 cases filed and closed (1988–present).

5,680

Cases filed

78.6%

Ended before a merits judgment

4,462 of 5,680 cases

76.8%

Plaintiff win

of 1,218 merits judgments

16.8%

Defendant win

of merits judgments

Most cases never reach a ruling on the merits. Of 5,680 filed, 78.6% closed without one — settled, dismissed, transferred, or remanded. The win rates above describe only the 1,218 that a judge actually decided.

How they closed

Dismissed39.8%
Settled29.9%
Plaintiff win16.5%
Defendant win3.6%
Transferred3.6%
Other3.6%
Remanded1.7%
Decided — other1%
Mixed0.4%

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 franchise

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.