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Research · Federal court records

Federal class actions, 1988 to 2026

192,755 class actions have been filed in federal court since 1988, 1.8% of all civil cases. Three in ten end in a settlement and four in ten in a dismissal; a case that settles takes 311 days at the median. Every case is in the searchable index.

Summary

Filing volume

About 10,000 class actions a year since 2018, five times the level of 2000192,755 filed from 1988 to June 2026 · 12,960 still open · 9,844 a year on average, 2018 to 2025
ClosedStill open02,5005,0007,50010,0001988: 524 filed, 0 still open, 0.2% of civil filings1988: 0 of 524 still open1989: 496 filed, 0 still open, 0.2% of civil filings1989: 0 of 496 still open1990: 573 filed, 0 still open, 0.3% of civil filings1990: 0 of 573 still open19901991: 420 filed, 0 still open, 0.2% of civil filings1991: 0 of 420 still open1992: 676 filed, 0 still open, 0.3% of civil filings1992: 0 of 676 still open1993: 631 filed, 0 still open, 0.3% of civil filings1993: 0 of 631 still open1994: 845 filed, 0 still open, 0.4% of civil filings1994: 0 of 845 still open1995: 1,189 filed, 0 still open, 0.5% of civil filings1995: 0 of 1,189 still open19951996: 1,025 filed, 2 still open, 0.4% of civil filings1996: 2 of 1,025 still open1997: 1,218 filed, 1 still open, 0.4% of civil filings1997: 1 of 1,218 still open1998: 1,414 filed, 0 still open, 0.6% of civil filings1998: 0 of 1,414 still open1999: 1,349 filed, 0 still open, 0.5% of civil filings1999: 0 of 1,349 still open2000: 2,032 filed, 0 still open, 0.8% of civil filings2000: 0 of 2,032 still open2,03220002001: 2,668 filed, 2 still open, 1.0% of civil filings2001: 2 of 2,668 still open2002: 3,044 filed, 2 still open, 1.2% of civil filings2002: 2 of 3,044 still open2003: 3,821 filed, 1 still open, 1.5% of civil filings2003: 1 of 3,821 still open2004: 4,423 filed, 15 still open, 1.6% of civil filings2004: 15 of 4,423 still open2005: 4,169 filed, 11 still open, 1.7% of civil filings2005: 11 of 4,169 still open20052006: 10,093 filed, 31 still open, 3.6% of civil filings2006: 31 of 10,093 still open10,0932007: 4,392 filed, 46 still open, 1.8% of civil filings2007: 46 of 4,392 still open2008: 3,460 filed, 49 still open, 1.3% of civil filings2008: 49 of 3,460 still open2009: 8,740 filed, 19 still open, 3.2% of civil filings2009: 19 of 8,740 still open8,7402010: 3,459 filed, 14 still open, 1.2% of civil filings2010: 14 of 3,459 still open20102011: 4,075 filed, 14 still open, 1.4% of civil filings2011: 14 of 4,075 still open2012: 4,948 filed, 19 still open, 1.8% of civil filings2012: 19 of 4,948 still open2013: 5,581 filed, 11 still open, 1.9% of civil filings2013: 11 of 5,581 still open2014: 6,798 filed, 42 still open, 2.3% of civil filings2014: 42 of 6,798 still open2015: 9,024 filed, 60 still open, 3.2% of civil filings2015: 60 of 9,024 still open20152016: 7,917 filed, 86 still open, 2.7% of civil filings2016: 86 of 7,917 still open2017: 8,984 filed, 95 still open, 3.3% of civil filings2017: 95 of 8,984 still open2018: 9,759 filed, 219 still open, 3.5% of civil filings2018: 219 of 9,759 still open2019: 10,048 filed, 304 still open, 3.4% of civil filings2019: 304 of 10,048 still open2020: 10,230 filed, 283 still open, 2.1% of civil filings2020: 283 of 10,230 still open20202021: 9,523 filed, 437 still open, 2.9% of civil filings2021: 437 of 9,523 still open2022: 9,260 filed, 507 still open, 3.5% of civil filings2022: 507 of 9,260 still open2023: 9,691 filed, 1,012 still open, 2.7% of civil filings2023: 1,012 of 9,691 still open2024: 9,655 filed, 1,831 still open, 3.6% of civil filings2024: 1,831 of 9,655 still open2025: 10,589 filed, 3,503 still open, 3.4% of civil filings2025: 3,503 of 10,589 still open10,58920252026: 6,012 filed, 4,344 still open, 3.0% of civil filings2026: 4,344 of 6,012 still open2006 and 2009: asbestos cases bulk-entered in E.D. Pennsylvania,most closed within 60 days2026 is January to June only

Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database, civil file dated August 26, 2026. Calendar year of filing; 2026 runs to June 30.

Class action filings grew twenty-fold between 1988 and 2025, from 524 to 10,589 a year, while all civil filings grew by a third. Class actions were 0.2% of the federal civil docket in 1988 and 3.4% in 2025. The 2006 and 2009 spikes are about 6,000 asbestos cases each, logged in bulk by one district and mostly closed within 60 days; without them the climb is steady. 2026 is a half year: 6,012 filings by June 30 is a pace of about 12,000.

Case categories

Disability-access suits are the largest category: 18.6% of class actions filed since 202245,207 class actions filed 2022 to June 2026, by the nature-of-suit code on the civil cover sheet
Disability access (ADA, other)Disability access (ADA, other): 8,407 class actions, 18.6%8,407 · 18.6%Fair Labor Standards ActFair Labor Standards Act: 5,043 class actions, 11.2%5,043 · 11.2%Other contractOther contract: 4,292 class actions, 9.5%4,292 · 9.5%Telephone Consumer Protection ActTelephone Consumer Protection Act: 4,067 class actions, 9.0%4,067 · 9.0%Other personal injuryOther personal injury: 3,748 class actions, 8.3%3,748 · 8.3%Other fraudOther fraud: 3,289 class actions, 7.3%3,289 · 7.3%Other statutory actionsOther statutory actions: 2,677 class actions, 5.9%2,677 · 5.9%Other laborOther labor: 2,053 class actions, 4.5%2,053 · 4.5%Other personal property damageOther personal property damage: 1,566 class actions, 3.5%1,566 · 3.5%Consumer creditConsumer credit: 1,547 class actions, 3.4%1,547 · 3.4%Securities and commoditiesSecurities and commodities: 1,258 class actions, 2.8%1,258 · 2.8%Employment civil rightsEmployment civil rights: 1,177 class actions, 2.6%1,177 · 2.6%All other categoriesAll other categories: 6,083 class actions, 13.5%6,083 · 13.5%

Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database, civil file dated August 26, 2026.

The mix has moved toward consumer and workplace statutes. Wage-and-hour (Fair Labor Standards Act) suits lead across all years with 21,752 cases; securities and consumer-credit suits, 14,125 and 15,332 all-time, are down to 2.8% and 3.4% of recent filings; Telephone Consumer Protection Act (robocall) suits, 4,798 all-time, are 85% from the last five years. Asbestos, 12,366 cases all-time, had one filing in these five years. Data-breach cases have no code of their own and sit inside contract, property damage and personal injury.

Outcomes

31% of class actions end in a settlement, against 26% of all civil casesShare of cases that have ended: 179,795 class actions, with recent filings and all civil cases for comparison
Class actions, all yearsClass actions filed 2017 to 2026All civil casesClass actions, all years, Settled: 31.1%31.1%Class actions filed 2017 to 2026, Settled: 29.1%29.1%All civil cases, Settled: 25.7%25.7%SettledClass actions, all years, Dismissed: 39.5%39.5%Class actions filed 2017 to 2026, Dismissed: 46.1%46.1%All civil cases, Dismissed: 39.0%39.0%DismissedClass actions, all years, Judgment: 15.0%15.0%Class actions filed 2017 to 2026, Judgment: 10.8%10.8%All civil cases, Judgment: 23.3%23.3%JudgmentClass actions, all years, Transferred or remanded: 9.4%9.4%Class actions filed 2017 to 2026, Transferred or remanded: 8.6%8.6%All civil cases, Transferred or remanded: 9.5%9.5%Transferred or remandedClass actions, all years, Other: 5.0%5.0%Class actions filed 2017 to 2026, Other: 5.4%5.4%All civil cases, Other: 2.5%2.5%OtherSettled = dismissal on settlement or a consent judgment, as coded by the clerk.

Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database, civil file dated August 26, 2026. Recent filings: cases filed 2017 to June 2026.

“Settled” is the courts’ code for a dismissal on settlement (53,454 cases) plus consent judgments (2,440). Dismissals split into voluntary (38,325), other (27,909), want of prosecution (3,594) and lack of jurisdiction (1,224); judgments are mostly motions decided before trial (17,005). Only 562 class actions reached a jury verdict and 436 a bench trial since 1988, 0.6% of ended cases. Class actions are dismissed at the same rate as other civil cases, settle more often and reach judgment less often; among recent filings, dismissals have risen to 46%.

Time to resolution

Class actions close faster: a median 190 days for 2018 to 2020 filings, more than 700 for 2000 to 2002Median days from filing to close, by year filed; cases that have ended
0200400600800199019952000200520102015202020251988: median 336 days; 524 ended, 0 still open1989: median 251 days; 496 ended, 0 still open1990: median 399 days; 573 ended, 0 still open3991991: median 476 days; 420 ended, 0 still open1992: median 532 days; 676 ended, 0 still open1993: median 637 days; 631 ended, 0 still open1994: median 630 days; 845 ended, 0 still open1995: median 626 days; 1,189 ended, 0 still open1996: median 613 days; 1,023 ended, 2 still open1997: median 472 days; 1,217 ended, 1 still open1998: median 399 days; 1,414 ended, 0 still open1999: median 628 days; 1,349 ended, 0 still open2000: median 713 days; 2,032 ended, 0 still open7132001: median 720 days; 2,666 ended, 2 still open2002: median 770 days; 3,042 ended, 2 still open7702003: median 547 days; 3,820 ended, 1 still open2004: median 541 days; 4,408 ended, 15 still open2005: median 369 days; 4,158 ended, 11 still open2006: median 0 days; 10,062 ended, 31 still open2007: median 522 days; 4,346 ended, 46 still open2008: median 634 days; 3,411 ended, 49 still open2009: median 35 days; 8,721 ended, 19 still open2010: median 464 days; 3,445 ended, 14 still open4642011: median 397 days; 4,061 ended, 14 still open2012: median 325 days; 4,929 ended, 19 still open2013: median 275 days; 5,570 ended, 11 still open2014: median 262 days; 6,756 ended, 42 still open2015: median 244 days; 8,964 ended, 60 still open2016: median 264 days; 7,831 ended, 86 still open2017: median 215 days; 8,889 ended, 95 still open2018: median 189 days; 9,540 ended, 219 still open2019: median 189 days; 9,744 ended, 304 still open2020: median 188 days; 9,947 ended, 283 still open1882021: median 158 days; 9,086 ended, 437 still open2022: median 163 days; 8,753 ended, 507 still open2023: median 156 days; 8,679 ended, 1,012 still open2024: median 142 days; 7,824 ended, 1,831 still open2025: median 99 days; 7,086 ended, 3,503 still open2026: median 51 days; 1,668 ended, 4,344 still open2006 and 2009 (hollow): bulk asbestos entries, closed on arrivalDashed: provisional, long cases still open

Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database, civil file dated August 26, 2026.

The fall is real from 2010 on, when nearly every year’s cases have ended: 464 days for 2010 filings, 262 for 2014, 189 for 2018. Recent years will lengthen as their open cases close: 19% of 2024 filings, 33% of 2025 and 72% of 2026 are still open, so their medians are provisional.

Time to settlement by category

Antitrust settlements take 1,412 days at the median; disability-access cases 111Median days from filing to a settlement, 1988 to 2026, categories with at least 200 settled cases
All class actions: 311 daysAntitrustAntitrust: median 1,412 days to a settlement, 1,043 settled cases1,412 days · 1,043 settledSecurities and commoditiesSecurities and commodities: median 920 days to a settlement, 2,461 settled cases920 days · 2,461 settledPersonal injury, product liabilityPersonal injury, product liability: median 800 days to a settlement, 3,017 settled cases800 days · 3,017 settledERISAERISA: median 729 days to a settlement, 811 settled cases729 days · 811 settledPrisoner civil rightsPrisoner civil rights: median 693 days to a settlement, 318 settled cases693 days · 318 settledOther civil rightsOther civil rights: median 601 days to a settlement, 1,548 settled cases601 days · 1,548 settledOther contractOther contract: median 560 days to a settlement, 2,200 settled cases560 days · 2,200 settledOther personal injuryOther personal injury: median 556 days to a settlement, 731 settled cases556 days · 731 settledRICORICO: median 536 days to a settlement, 344 settled cases536 days · 344 settledOther fraudOther fraud: median 530 days to a settlement, 1,355 settled cases530 days · 1,355 settledEmployment civil rightsEmployment civil rights: median 524 days to a settlement, 1,388 settled cases524 days · 1,388 settledOther personal property damageOther personal property damage: median 515 days to a settlement, 326 settled cases515 days · 326 settledOther laborOther labor: median 490 days to a settlement, 1,454 settled cases490 days · 1,454 settledInsuranceInsurance: median 489 days to a settlement, 764 settled cases489 days · 764 settledFair Labor Standards ActFair Labor Standards Act: median 434 days to a settlement, 10,439 settled cases434 days · 10,439 settledOther statutory actionsOther statutory actions: median 291 days to a settlement, 5,113 settled cases291 days · 5,113 settledTelephone Consumer Protection ActTelephone Consumer Protection Act: median 182 days to a settlement, 1,031 settled cases182 days · 1,031 settledConsumer creditConsumer credit: median 170 days to a settlement, 6,052 settled cases170 days · 6,052 settledDisability access (ADA, other)Disability access (ADA, other): median 111 days to a settlement, 7,206 settled cases111 days · 7,206 settledAsbestosAsbestos: median 31 days to a settlement, 4,940 settled cases31 days · 4,940 settled

Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database, civil file dated August 26, 2026.

Across all categories the median settled class action closes in 311 days, pulled down by the large asbestos, disability-access and consumer-credit groups. Wage-and-hour cases, the biggest settled group at 10,439, take 434 days. The consumer categories run from six months (robocall, consumer credit) through one and a half years (contract, fraud) to nearly four (antitrust).

Venue

Since 2022, S.D. New York has filed one in five class actions; four districts file half45,207 class actions filed 2022 to June 2026; the top four districts filed 21,620 (47.8%)
S.D. New YorkS.D. New York: 9,037 class actions, 20.0%9,037 · 20.0%C.D. CaliforniaC.D. California: 5,555 class actions, 12.3%5,555 · 12.3%N.D. CaliforniaN.D. California: 3,541 class actions, 7.8%3,541 · 7.8%E.D. New YorkE.D. New York: 3,487 class actions, 7.7%3,487 · 7.7%D. New JerseyD. New Jersey: 1,625 class actions, 3.6%1,625 · 3.6%S.D. CaliforniaS.D. California: 1,305 class actions, 2.9%1,305 · 2.9%E.D. PennsylvaniaE.D. Pennsylvania: 1,191 class actions, 2.6%1,191 · 2.6%D. MassachusettsD. Massachusetts: 1,182 class actions, 2.6%1,182 · 2.6%W.D. WashingtonW.D. Washington: 1,104 class actions, 2.4%1,104 · 2.4%D. MinnesotaD. Minnesota: 985 class actions, 2.2%985 · 2.2%N.D. GeorgiaN.D. Georgia: 861 class actions, 1.9%861 · 1.9%E.D. MichiganE.D. Michigan: 778 class actions, 1.7%778 · 1.7%All other 78 districtsAll other 78 districts: 14,556 class actions, 32.2%14,556 · 32.2%

Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database, civil file dated August 26, 2026.

90 districts filed at least one class action in these years; half of them filed fewer than 150 each. 72% of class actions are original federal filings, 10.5% were removed from state court, 6.8% are reopened cases and 3.9% arrived by multidistrict transfer. 66% rest on a federal question and 32% on diversity of citizenship; 3.6% carry a multidistrict-litigation docket number.

Defendant concentration

Three in four defendants are sued once; the 23 sued 50 or more times account for 3.8% of filings45,207 class actions filed 2022 to June 2026, by how many named the same first-listed defendant
20,527 defendants, sued once20,527 defendants, sued once: 20,527 suits, 45.4% of filings20,527 suits · 45.4%4,901 defendants, sued 2 to 4 times4,901 defendants, sued 2 to 4 times: 11,953 suits, 26.4% of filings11,953 suits · 26.4%814 defendants, sued 5 to 9 times814 defendants, sued 5 to 9 times: 5,106 suits, 11.3% of filings5,106 suits · 11.3%351 defendants, sued 10 to 49 times351 defendants, sued 10 to 49 times: 5,880 suits, 13.0% of filings5,880 suits · 13.0%23 defendants, sued 50 or more times23 defendants, sued 50 or more times: 1,735 suits, 3.8% of filings1,735 suits · 3.8%

Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database, civil file dated August 26, 2026. Defendant names as typed by the clerk, lightly normalized; no party is named here.

The federal class action docket is diffuse. In 2022 to 2026, 45,207 suits named 26,616 different first-listed defendants (six name none); 20,527 of them (77%) were sued once, and those single suits are 45% of all filings. At the other end, 23 defendants were named in 50 or more suits, together 1,735 suits or 3.8% of filings, and no single defendant drew more than 136 suits in five years (0.3%). The ten most-sued defendants account for 2.2% of filings and the top 100 for 8.8%.

Two patterns among the most-sued. 15 of the 23 are steady targets, sued at least five times in at least four of the five years (1,127 suits): large consumer, technology, retail, automotive and banking companies. 5 are bursts, with three quarters or more of their suits filed in a single year (397 suits): one event, such as a product defect, a data breach or an antitrust claim, followed by 50 to 100 near-identical complaints within months. Among the 86 defendants named in 20 to 49 suits, 31 are bursts (921 suits). Burst filings are the cases later consolidated into multidistrict proceedings and, years on, behind the largest settlements.

Concentration was higher in the past. Across all years, 248 defendants with 50 or more suits hold 19% of the record, and 23 defendant-years of 200 or more suits each hold 11,255 suits, the largest a single defendant logged 1,371 times in one year. Much of that is asbestos: 6.4% of all class actions since 1988 are asbestos cases, most of them bulk entries by one court in 2006 and 2009 that closed within weeks, and since 2022 there has been one.

What it means for claimants

Data and method

The courts’ database
Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database, civil file dated August 26, 2026: one row per civil case since 1988 with court, docket number, dates filed and closed, nature of suit, origin, jurisdiction, the class-action flag, the first plaintiff and defendant, the dollar demand and the disposition. 192,755 of 10,603,406 civil cases filed from 1988 to June 30, 2026 carry the flag.
The public docket record
Free Law Project, CourtListener bulk data, dockets table dated September 30, 2026, matched on court and docket number: 179,572 of the 179,999 distinct class action dockets (99.8%) have a docket in the record and 177,758 (98.8%) carry filings from PACER. Coverage is 49% for 1988, 64% for 1989 and 85% for 1990, above 90% from 1991 on and above 95% from 1995 on.
Definitions
“Settled” is the courts’ disposition code for a dismissal on settlement plus consent judgments. Categories are the nature-of-suit codes on the civil cover sheet. Years are calendar years of filing. Durations run from filing to termination and are medians over cases that have ended.
Limitations
The class-action flag is the plaintiff’s claim on the cover sheet and includes cases never certified as a class. Dispositions are clerk-entered codes; some voluntary dismissals are settlements too. Federal courts only: state-court class actions are not in this data. The file ends on June 30, 2026, so 2026 is a half year, and time-to-close figures for recent years run short because the long cases are still open. The dollar demand is recorded for 16% of cases and capped at $10 million; the amount received is not used, on the courts’ advice. Defendant names are as typed by the clerk, cut at about 23 characters and lightly normalized, so counts per defendant are approximate, and this analysis names no party.
Analysis
Run on October 24, 2026, on the two files above, in aggregate only. Neither source holds settlement terms, claim deadlines or payouts; those come only from the court-approved settlement notices this site reads.