Tort product liability

Federal civil · Real Property · 6,364 cases filed and closed (1988–present).

6,364

Cases filed

92.3%

Ended before a merits judgment

5,873 of 6,364 cases

20.4%

Plaintiff win

of 491 merits judgments

70.1%

Defendant win

of merits judgments

Most cases never reach a ruling on the merits. Of 6,364 filed, 92.3% closed without one — settled, dismissed, transferred, or remanded. The win rates above describe only the 491 that a judge actually decided.

How they closed

Dismissed30.3%
Settled26.1%
Transferred19.1%
Other12.2%
Defendant win5.4%
Remanded4.5%
Plaintiff win1.6%
Decided — other0.4%
Mixed0.3%

Where you file matters

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

Read the law behind tort 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.