Other fraud
Federal civil · Torts · 64,755 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
64,755
Cases filed
84.1%
Ended before a merits judgment
54,448 of 64,755 cases
38.9%
Plaintiff win
of 10,307 merits judgments
51.4%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed41.7%
- Settled25.3%
- Defendant win8.2%
- Transferred6.8%
- Plaintiff win6.2%
- Remanded5.7%
- Other4.5%
- Decided — other0.9%
- Mixed0.6%
- Affirmed0%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, C.D. California4,777 cases · 445 decided38%
- District Court, S.D. New York3,651 cases · 556 decided30.9%
- District Court, N.D. Georgia3,260 cases · 559 decided48.1%
- District Court, D. New Jersey2,955 cases · 525 decided32%
- District Court, N.D. California2,912 cases · 422 decided30.6%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois2,669 cases · 451 decided49.7%
- District Court, D. Minnesota2,480 cases · 307 decided27.7%
- District Court, S.D. Florida2,303 cases · 213 decided52.1%
- District Court, S.D. West Virginia1,763 cases · 129 decided10.1%
- District Court, N.D. Texas1,582 cases · 288 decided45.8%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania1,520 cases · 162 decided69.8%
- District Court, E.D. New York1,454 cases · 185 decided45.9%
- District Court, S.D. Texas1,429 cases · 201 decided29.9%
- District Court, M.D. Florida1,276 cases · 158 decided40.5%
- District Court, N.D. Alabama1,222 cases · 80 decided50%
- District Court, D. Maryland1,124 cases · 211 decided46%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts1,091 cases · 210 decided24.3%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia1,045 cases · 167 decided52.1%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan1,008 cases · 218 decided38.5%
- District Court, S.D. California952 cases · 276 decided24.6%
- District Court, D. South Carolina914 cases · 148 decided61.5%
- District Court, M.D. Alabama897 cases · 73 decided28.8%
- District Court, N.D. Ohio876 cases · 125 decided37.6%
- District Court, D. Connecticut853 cases · 200 decided48%
- District Court, E.D. Missouri747 cases · 91 decided39.6%
- District Court, W.D. Texas741 cases · 140 decided37.9%
- District Court, S.D. Ohio710 cases · 144 decided26.4%
- District Court, D. Arizona704 cases · 195 decided20.5%
- District Court, D. Nevada687 cases · 167 decided30.5%
- District Court, E.D. California666 cases · 116 decided23.3%
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.