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Other real property actions

Federal civil · Real Property · 46,492 cases filed and closed (1988–present).

46,492
Cases filed
80.2%
Ended before a merits judgment
37,285 of 46,492 cases
30.8%
Plaintiff win
of 9,207 merits judgments
58.9%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
Most cases never reach a ruling on the merits. Of 46,492 filed, 80.2% closed without one — settled, dismissed, transferred, or remanded. The win rates above describe only the 9,207 that a judge actually decided.

How they closed

  • Dismissed42%
  • Settled20.4%
  • Remanded13%
  • Defendant win11.7%
  • Plaintiff win6.1%
  • Transferred2.5%
  • Other2.2%
  • Decided — other1.1%
  • Mixed0.9%
  • Affirmed0%
  • Denied0%

Where you file matters

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

Read the law behind other real property actions

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.

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