Medical malpractice
Federal civil · Torts · 45,814 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
45,814
Cases filed
84.1%
Ended before a merits judgment
38,510 of 45,814 cases
22.1%
Plaintiff win
of 7,304 merits judgments
69.5%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Settled35.8%
- Dismissed35.4%
- Defendant win11.1%
- Remanded5.7%
- Other3.8%
- Plaintiff win3.5%
- Transferred3.3%
- Decided — other0.9%
- 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, D. Puerto Rico1,601 cases · 313 decided56.9%
- District Court, S.D. New York1,469 cases · 148 decided18.2%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania1,454 cases · 159 decided17.6%
- District Court, W.D. Texas1,315 cases · 187 decided24.1%
- District Court, E.D. New York1,203 cases · 103 decided23.3%
- District Court, C.D. California1,147 cases · 129 decided27.1%
- District Court, D. New Jersey1,146 cases · 220 decided14.5%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois1,138 cases · 157 decided30.6%
- District Court, D. Maryland1,101 cases · 230 decided18.7%
- District Court, D. Kansas1,037 cases · 145 decided27.6%
- District Court, District of Columbia906 cases · 153 decided33.3%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts846 cases · 157 decided15.3%
- District Court, S.D. Mississippi838 cases · 138 decided15.2%
- District Court, D. South Carolina831 cases · 157 decided35.7%
- District Court, D. Colorado829 cases · 123 decided19.5%
- District Court, D. New Mexico798 cases · 91 decided24.2%
- District Court, D. Arizona789 cases · 127 decided12.6%
- District Court, S.D. Ohio787 cases · 65 decided7.7%
- District Court, M.D. Florida779 cases · 61 decided18%
- District Court, S.D. California726 cases · 181 decided16.6%
- District Court, E.D. Missouri715 cases · 95 decided30.5%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia714 cases · 123 decided30.9%
- District Court, W.D. Washington649 cases · 97 decided25.8%
- District Court, W.D. Oklahoma637 cases · 109 decided28.4%
- District Court, S.D. West Virginia631 cases · 87 decided18.4%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan607 cases · 111 decided26.1%
- District Court, E.D. Louisiana582 cases · 156 decided10.3%
- District Court, N.D. California563 cases · 118 decided20.3%
- District Court, S.D. Illinois563 cases · 71 decided23.9%
- District Court, S.D. Florida549 cases · 52 decided36.5%
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.