Assault, libel, and slander
Federal civil · Torts · 23,348 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
23,348
Cases filed
81.2%
Ended before a merits judgment
18,952 of 23,348 cases
15.4%
Plaintiff win
of 4,396 merits judgments
76.4%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed45.7%
- Settled24.2%
- Defendant win14.4%
- Remanded5.4%
- Transferred3.2%
- Plaintiff win2.9%
- Other2.7%
- Decided — other1%
- Mixed0.5%
- 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 York1,148 cases · 195 decided13.3%
- District Court, C.D. California1,072 cases · 116 decided18.1%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania953 cases · 108 decided33.3%
- District Court, S.D. Florida906 cases · 61 decided36.1%
- District Court, D. Maryland861 cases · 170 decided12.4%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois784 cases · 124 decided15.3%
- District Court, District of Columbia730 cases · 170 decided12.4%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia682 cases · 114 decided17.5%
- District Court, D. New Jersey627 cases · 138 decided24.6%
- District Court, N.D. Texas585 cases · 109 decided11%
- District Court, S.D. Texas568 cases · 103 decided8.7%
- District Court, E.D. New York566 cases · 75 decided18.7%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts547 cases · 116 decided16.4%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan541 cases · 139 decided14.4%
- District Court, N.D. California531 cases · 113 decided9.7%
- District Court, D. South Carolina528 cases · 93 decided18.3%
- District Court, M.D. Florida504 cases · 39 decided20.5%
- District Court, N.D. Georgia376 cases · 101 decided9.9%
- District Court, W.D. Texas365 cases · 59 decided6.8%
- District Court, N.D. Ohio349 cases · 72 decided11.1%
- District Court, S.D. California330 cases · 134 decided4.5%
- District Court, D. Arizona307 cases · 95 decided12.6%
- District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania303 cases · 49 decided8.2%
- District Court, D. Oregon302 cases · 79 decided11.4%
- District Court, D. Connecticut299 cases · 65 decided9.2%
- District Court, D. Nevada292 cases · 51 decided5.9%
- District Court, S.D. Mississippi288 cases · 69 decided17.4%
- District Court, E.D. Louisiana284 cases · 85 decided10.6%
- District Court, S.D. Ohio276 cases · 66 decided9.1%
- District Court, W.D. Washington273 cases · 63 decided4.8%
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.