Other personal liability
Federal civil · Torts · 308,416 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
308,416
Cases filed
86%
Ended before a merits judgment
265,299 of 308,416 cases
18.9%
Plaintiff win
of 43,117 merits judgments
59.7%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Settled38.4%
- Dismissed30.6%
- Defendant win8.4%
- Remanded7.4%
- Transferred5.2%
- Other4.3%
- Decided — other2.7%
- Plaintiff win2.6%
- Mixed0.3%
- Affirmed0%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, S.D. New York19,512 cases · 799 decided18.8%
- District Court, E.D. Louisiana14,188 cases · 1,434 decided17.4%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania13,220 cases · 1,522 decided39.7%
- District Court, M.D. Louisiana12,893 cases · 6,983 decided0.8%
- District Court, D. New Jersey11,290 cases · 1,268 decided31.4%
- District Court, S.D. Texas9,531 cases · 930 decided16.3%
- District Court, E.D. New York8,191 cases · 678 decided29.2%
- District Court, S.D. Mississippi8,062 cases · 938 decided18.3%
- District Court, C.D. California7,204 cases · 588 decided20.1%
- District Court, S.D. Florida7,011 cases · 390 decided22.3%
- District Court, W.D. Louisiana6,280 cases · 899 decided18.4%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois6,158 cases · 699 decided16.9%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan6,121 cases · 1,101 decided17.3%
- District Court, N.D. Georgia5,963 cases · 1,016 decided13%
- District Court, D. South Carolina5,693 cases · 714 decided18.6%
- District Court, S.D. Ohio5,683 cases · 292 decided10.6%
- District Court, S.D. West Virginia5,554 cases · 227 decided18.9%
- District Court, E.D. Missouri5,519 cases · 393 decided33.1%
- District Court, M.D. Florida5,138 cases · 389 decided29.3%
- District Court, D. Maryland4,924 cases · 807 decided14.3%
- District Court, N.D. Texas4,619 cases · 781 decided22.3%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts4,215 cases · 627 decided17.4%
- District Court, D. Puerto Rico4,094 cases · 864 decided66.7%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia3,982 cases · 693 decided20.1%
- District Court, District of Columbia3,956 cases · 697 decided26.5%
- District Court, E.D. Texas3,819 cases · 347 decided35.4%
- District Court, W.D. Texas3,596 cases · 564 decided21.6%
- District Court, S.D. Illinois3,537 cases · 237 decided27%
- District Court, N.D. California3,469 cases · 666 decided18%
- District Court, S.D. Indiana3,463 cases · 346 decided16.2%
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.