Marine personal injury
Federal civil · Torts · 71,467 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
71,467
Cases filed
90%
Ended before a merits judgment
64,302 of 71,467 cases
38.5%
Plaintiff win
of 7,165 merits judgments
50.9%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Settled53.8%
- Dismissed25.3%
- Transferred7%
- Defendant win5.1%
- Plaintiff win3.9%
- Other2.4%
- Remanded1.5%
- Mixed0.6%
- Decided — other0.5%
- Affirmed0%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, E.D. Louisiana17,005 cases · 1,935 decided29.1%
- District Court, S.D. Florida6,574 cases · 293 decided47.8%
- District Court, W.D. Louisiana5,840 cases · 581 decided32.5%
- District Court, S.D. New York5,675 cases · 242 decided43.4%
- District Court, W.D. Washington5,440 cases · 401 decided49.1%
- District Court, S.D. Texas5,167 cases · 408 decided35%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts2,253 cases · 241 decided45.6%
- District Court, E.D. New York1,454 cases · 128 decided49.2%
- District Court, D. New Jersey1,326 cases · 180 decided46.1%
- District Court, C.D. California1,272 cases · 123 decided38.2%
- District Court, N.D. California1,231 cases · 182 decided44%
- District Court, D. Hawaii1,210 cases · 277 decided22%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania1,179 cases · 112 decided39.3%
- District Court, M.D. Florida1,143 cases · 120 decided69.2%
- District Court, D. Alaska948 cases · 95 decided48.4%
- District Court, E.D. Texas846 cases · 111 decided49.5%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia818 cases · 112 decided34.8%
- District Court, S.D. California734 cases · 230 decided37%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan715 cases · 82 decided34.1%
- District Court, S.D. Alabama651 cases · 83 decided56.6%
- District Court, D. South Carolina622 cases · 57 decided54.4%
- District Court, S.D. Mississippi570 cases · 96 decided31.3%
- District Court, W.D. Kentucky511 cases · 30 decided40%
- District Court, S.D. Illinois510 cases · 37 decided29.7%
- District Court, D. Puerto Rico503 cases · 122 decided77%
- District Court, M.D. Louisiana473 cases · 35 decided37.1%
- District Court, D. Oregon459 cases · 79 decided51.9%
- District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania437 cases · 37 decided37.8%
- District Court, D. Maryland430 cases · 46 decided47.8%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois350 cases · 39 decided43.6%
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.