Case Duration by Disposition Considering certified cases only, the median time to disposition is driven by the most common disposition among certified cases: settlement. Mean (days)
Median (days)
781
686
1,019
1,028
Dismissed without prejudice
802
726
Summary judgment
646
990
Overall, certified cases
793
700
Settlement Dismissed with prejudice
Table 13. Mean and median time to disposition for certified cases, by disposition Of the most common outcomes listed in table 13, settlement had the shortest median time to disposition at 1.9 years, or 686 days. The median is driven by the large number of settled cases that were certified as part of the settlement itself. These cases showed a slightly shorter median time to disposition of 1.7 years (636 days) and made up 81% of all settlements in certified cases.54 In contrast, the median case life leading to settlement is 59% longer in cases that settle after a court-granted motion for certification. 55 Again, this can be attributed to the case processing requirements introduced by a litigated motion for certification.
54 55
Mean at 745 days. Median at 1,011 days; mean at 1,023 days.
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