Federal employers' liability
Federal civil · Torts · 42,897 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
42,897
Cases filed
91.9%
Ended before a merits judgment
39,415 of 42,897 cases
38.7%
Plaintiff win
of 3,482 merits judgments
53%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Settled56%
- Dismissed26.8%
- Transferred7.1%
- Defendant win4.3%
- Plaintiff win3.1%
- Other1.5%
- Remanded0.4%
- Mixed0.4%
- Decided — other0.3%
- Affirmed0%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania5,850 cases · 253 decided57.3%
- District Court, S.D. New York2,418 cases · 113 decided58.4%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois2,221 cases · 162 decided38.3%
- District Court, E.D. New York2,099 cases · 181 decided68.5%
- District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania1,958 cases · 94 decided34%
- District Court, D. New Jersey1,430 cases · 157 decided52.9%
- District Court, C.D. California1,402 cases · 61 decided27.9%
- District Court, N.D. Ohio1,347 cases · 169 decided23.1%
- District Court, N.D. New York1,154 cases · 71 decided38%
- District Court, D. Nebraska1,138 cases · 84 decided22.6%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan1,103 cases · 103 decided35%
- District Court, W.D. Washington948 cases · 60 decided25%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts918 cases · 96 decided32.3%
- District Court, E.D. Tennessee878 cases · 57 decided43.9%
- District Court, D. Connecticut850 cases · 43 decided44.2%
- District Court, S.D. Illinois835 cases · 36 decided27.8%
- District Court, D. Colorado744 cases · 68 decided55.9%
- District Court, S.D. Texas684 cases · 42 decided31%
- District Court, D. Maryland653 cases · 88 decided27.3%
- District Court, S.D. West Virginia630 cases · 56 decided26.8%
- District Court, D. Minnesota627 cases · 33 decided45.5%
- District Court, S.D. Ohio614 cases · 59 decided35.6%
- District Court, S.D. Indiana557 cases · 38 decided34.2%
- District Court, W.D. Kentucky491 cases · 25 decided—
- District Court, E.D. Louisiana454 cases · 57 decided35.1%
- District Court, D. Montana439 cases · 45 decided37.8%
- District Court, E.D. Kentucky438 cases · 44 decided36.4%
- District Court, D. Kansas426 cases · 21 decided—
- District Court, N.D. Indiana408 cases · 56 decided35.7%
- District Court, W.D. Virginia373 cases · 19 decided—
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.