Motions to Dismiss Data, Admin Office of the US Courts, 2010
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MOTIONS TO DISMISS INFORMATION ON COLLECTION OF DATA The following tables and graphs on motions to dismiss before and after Twombly and Iqbal are based on data collected electronically from the 94 district courts’ docket entries. This information is not routinely included in the Administrative Office statistical reports for the courts. Though the data was reviewed for accuracy, some quality control steps that are part of the Administrative Office's reports were not applied. The electronically collected information is from the courts' docket entries, and the underlying docketed motions and orders were not read. As a result, if there are errors in the docket entry, those errors are in the data. The Federal Judicial Center is engaged in a study that will include reviewing underlying motions to dismiss and orders in a large number of randomly sampled cases, providing more information and an additional check on accuracy. Certain information could not be collected electronically from the docket entries and is not reflected in the data. The data does not distinguish among the different types of motions to dismiss under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Though most motions to dismiss are filed under Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted, motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1-5) and (7) are included in the data. The assumption is that the rate of motions to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1-5) and (7) has remained stable during the period. The Federal Judicial Center study will include this information. The data does not reveal whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend, and, if with leave to amend, whether the case continued with an amended complaint. The Federal Judicial Center study will also include this information. The courts do not rule on a significant number of motions to dismiss, often because the case settles without court intervention. Although the data includes the filing of these motions, the data does not include the disposition of these motions. Finally, the data excludes Multi-District Litigation (MDL) cases. Cases and Motions to Dismiss Filed From January 2007 through December 2009 CASES FILED category Personal Injury Prisoner Petitions Civil Rights Employment Civil Rights Other Civil Rights ADA Antitrust Patent Labor Laws Contracts All Others 2007 2008 2009 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 18,103 16,385 19,171 18,240 19,441 18,592 18,297 20,721 17,666 21,100 19,073 16,098 19,084 21,945 17,829 19,900 18,752 19,935 19,010 17,470 18,246 18,960 15,774 18,733 19,727 17,101 19,883 19,480 18,169 20,983 22,546 20,490 20,496 20,525 18,356 18,898 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1,936 1,931 2,089 1,669 2,672 1,732 1,786 2,465 1,675 2,177 2,295 1,539 2,005 6,096 1,636 1,715 2,237 3,765 2,139 1,706 2,003 1,663 1,515 2,348 1,482 1,599 2,218 1,984 1,843 3,053 4,163 3,145 3,418 3,310 3,186 2,565 4,665 3,928 4,734 4,576 4,593 4,787 4,877 4,746 4,191 5,020 4,293 3,969 5,188 4,531 4,796 4,964 4,308 4,430 4,664 4,230 4,185 4,470 3,599 4,421 4,298 4,072 4,602 4,603 4,172 4,661 4,695 4,283 4,216 4,212 3,693 4,192 1,114 967 1,049 974 1,132 1,177 1,098 1,181 1,146 1,185 1,047 1,083 1,041 999 957 1,088 1,108 1,183 1,196 1,107 1,245 1,250 1,014 1,220 966 1,014 1,135 1,243 1,094 1,299 1,261 1,224 1,312 1,201 1,101 1,263 1,211 1,187 1,456 1,309 1,483 1,337 1,318 1,483 1,274 1,517 1,240 1,275 1,403 1,334 1,303 1,342 1,339 1,320 1,384 1,378 1,399 1,488 1,217 1,385 1,177 1,349 1,433 1,364 1,269 1,459 1,595 1,311 1,439 1,419 1,275 1,321 148 164 205 183 188 214 184 214 228 209 202 180 220 219 232 197 202 250 294 222 252 295 203 308 245 251 292 232 246 275 323 281 295 275 259 283 38 63 82 40 28 39 26 31 57 42 29 34 58 76 115 70 126 43 48 48 53 37 52 30 36 59 75 49 41 60 63 48 47 58 50 29 212 192 266 218 274 285 214 230 221 302 247 201 225 250 236 265 237 244 233 213 196 237 174 246 217 214 285 267 234 213 249 221 233 222 213 228 1,374 1,284 1,490 1,295 1,397 1,390 1,403 1,449 1,174 1,475 1,250 1,235 1,425 1,400 1,406 1,505 1,370 1,426 1,517 1,274 1,397 1,473 1,236 1,323 1,549 1,338 1,687 1,530 1,346 1,458 1,566 1,695 1,476 1,585 1,354 1,430 2,538 2,143 2,654 3,338 2,602 2,614 2,541 3,366 2,728 3,672 3,654 2,470 2,751 2,360 2,368 3,725 2,683 2,524 2,506 2,594 2,786 2,962 2,374 2,802 5,182 2,679 2,939 2,846 2,674 2,852 2,878 2,728 2,677 2,811 2,339 2,474 4,867 4,526 5,146 4,638 5,072 5,017 4,850 5,556 4,972 5,501 4,816 4,112 4,768 4,680 4,780 5,029 5,142 4,750 5,029 4,698 4,730 5,085 4,390 4,650 4,575 4,526 5,217 5,362 5,250 5,653 5,753 5,554 5,383 5,432 4,886 5,113 MOT. DISMISS category Personal Injury Prisoner Petitions Civil Rights Employment Civil Rights Other Civil Rights ADA Antitrust/Patent Labor Laws Contracts All Others Jan 6,103 Jan 571 963 582 839 79 141 351 1,128 1,449 Feb 5,529 Feb 610 884 474 809 69 126 297 912 1,348 Mar 6,564 Mar 738 1,032 528 941 67 154 311 1,222 1,571 Apr 6,508 Apr 630 1,214 517 909 64 128 319 1,183 1,544 May 6,688 May 667 1,163 503 925 76 114 317 1,210 1,713 Jun 6,413 Jun 731 1,018 482 895 77 187 380 1,101 1,542 Jul 6,240 Jul 609 1,021 500 834 62 170 326 1,153 1,565 Aug 6,879 Aug 694 1,058 544 845 82 162 364 1,249 1,881 Sep 5,781 Sep 523 883 410 866 72 155 315 1,069 1,488 Oct 6,759 Oct 631 1,043 521 854 78 160 360 1,394 1,718 Nov 6,295 Nov 625 918 496 911 63 146 343 1,217 1,576 Dec 5,663 Dec 466 939 415 745 60 173 281 1,146 1,438 Jan 6,663 Jan 615 1,028 502 946 81 164 363 1,358 1,606 Feb 6,736 Feb 653 916 455 862 71 150 302 1,194 2,133 Mar 6,636 Mar 560 956 493 954 59 153 367 1,265 1,829 Apr 6,827 Apr 707 963 479 1,002 89 164 358 1,303 1,762 May 6,623 May 557 961 478 964 101 185 372 1,309 1,696 Jun 7,062 Jun 648 974 483 904 102 158 325 1,374 2,094 Jul 6,831 Jul 678 984 482 1,011 89 172 363 1,291 1,761 Aug 6,399 Aug 571 997 468 932 66 187 372 1,138 1,668 Sep 6,322 Sep 598 971 484 984 92 193 320 1,140 1,540 Oct 7,029 Oct 621 1,097 541 956 95 164 352 1,338 1,865 Nov 6,144 Nov 647 808 462 809 74 168 314 1,144 1,718 Dec 6,648 Dec 623 902 535 879 98 167 349 1,188 1,907 Jan 6,631 Jan 554 929 470 909 82 169 315 1,167 2,036 Feb 6,200 Feb 545 846 471 845 78 181 345 1,144 1,745 Mar 7,121 Mar 621 919 515 962 93 186 351 1,443 2,031 Apr 7,118 Apr 631 940 534 901 88 206 337 1,452 2,029 May 7,689 May 1,484 945 493 892 72 173 329 1,383 1,918 Jun 7,620 Jun 699 985 581 976 85 192 365 1,489 2,248 Jul 8,105 Jul 973 1,027 573 1,028 105 210 402 1,692 2,095 Aug 7,344 Aug 749 968 524 897 106 182 374 1,379 2,165 Sep 7,378 Sep 727 955 579 921 109 168 378 1,412 2,129 Oct 7,539 Oct 694 945 542 910 99 175 479 1,494 2,201 Nov 7,016 Nov 693 862 465 831 92 169 342 1,549 2,013 Dec 7,274 Dec 650 920 532 1,000 102 195 429 1,326 2,120 GRANTED category Personal Injury Prisoner Petitions Civil Rights Employment Civil Rights Other Civil Rights ADA Antitrust Patent Labor Laws Contracts All Others Jan 2,316 Jan 330 299 207 294 30 8 45 118 394 591 Feb 2,132 Feb 281 367 167 303 20 9 55 89 330 511 Mar 2,871 Mar 334 475 251 426 33 7 28 120 545 652 Apr 2,122 Apr 267 271 208 308 30 14 52 107 385 480 May 2,341 May 284 325 200 354 36 11 39 112 452 528 Jun 2,301 Jun 309 258 155 358 26 8 46 104 414 623 Jul 2,295 Jul 282 329 183 274 24 18 72 91 436 586 Aug 2,405 Aug 269 354 184 310 26 17 52 97 478 618 Sep 2,394 Sep 257 411 161 332 28 17 42 114 401 631 Oct 2,392 Oct 293 297 180 265 36 14 61 122 483 641 Nov 2,224 Nov 256 265 154 293 16 3 44 105 457 631 Dec 1,891 Dec 219 243 129 202 16 5 46 88 401 542 Jan 2,496 Jan 274 319 160 331 29 5 61 128 549 640 Feb 2,415 Feb 259 355 164 282 28 6 44 113 523 641 Mar 3,049 Mar 258 529 189 420 22 3 44 139 581 864 Apr 2,530 Apr 307 273 160 289 28 5 58 139 534 737 May 2,315 May 249 289 162 300 37 9 43 101 518 607 Jun 2,461 Jun 276 289 187 347 39 7 57 124 530 605 Jul 2,732 Jul 290 344 183 332 30 15 57 126 671 684 Aug 2,531 Aug 249 364 164 342 26 5 141 121 504 615 Sep 2,535 Sep 266 406 177 402 27 4 61 121 438 633 Oct 2,380 Oct 327 287 161 296 35 9 49 113 497 606 Nov 1,976 Nov 233 242 144 281 23 2 59 87 426 479 Dec 2,265 Dec 250 248 177 307 29 9 64 124 497 560 Jan 2,422 Jan 287 345 161 318 29 8 63 118 502 591 Feb 2,290 Feb 253 346 160 335 24 2 70 123 413 564 Mar 3,309 Mar 327 499 195 443 39 21 87 137 668 893 Apr 2,520 Apr 298 265 166 287 39 6 96 101 528 734 May 2,363 May 225 275 163 301 35 6 78 102 481 697 Jun 2,871 Jun 333 287 230 336 38 5 74 112 605 851 Jul 2,926 Jul 282 322 199 358 51 13 74 119 673 835 Aug 2,824 Aug 257 379 198 382 29 16 79 99 587 798 Sep 3,054 Sep 298 497 195 373 30 9 67 118 524 943 Oct 2,788 Oct 277 267 204 316 37 15 77 126 632 837 Nov 2,444 Nov 313 256 153 323 38 6 69 125 428 733 Dec 2,585 Dec 314 300 151 281 43 7 70 183 501 735 Jan 853 Jan 64 108 99 119 8 6 20 40 167 222 Feb 819 Feb 71 128 73 101 10 4 18 53 166 195 Mar 1,229 Mar 107 177 95 190 10 6 31 68 227 318 Apr 746 Apr 85 83 60 119 10 1 10 57 142 179 May 914 May 79 105 96 113 8 10 19 66 218 200 Jun 800 Jun 75 101 73 109 10 3 13 54 165 197 Jul 844 Jul 56 118 89 93 9 1 16 42 217 203 Aug 952 Aug 76 120 91 112 9 7 23 46 210 258 Sep 1,071 Sep 70 170 95 134 8 4 44 42 226 278 Oct 784 Oct 43 94 68 115 4 5 27 62 167 199 Nov 753 Nov 58 76 65 78 8 3 18 38 188 221 Dec 701 Dec 58 79 54 112 7 Jan 952 Jan 79 131 77 128 7 27 66 200 237 Feb 888 Feb 81 115 72 132 5 4 20 53 171 235 Mar 1,680 Mar 116 188 75 155 11 7 29 73 255 771 Apr 844 Apr 77 81 83 128 6 11 20 47 167 224 May 807 May 68 62 74 129 10 3 19 53 183 206 Jun 811 Jun 73 95 71 104 13 8 14 57 156 220 Jul 959 Jul 84 144 87 122 14 2 17 55 215 219 Aug 919 Aug 73 132 73 123 12 5 20 61 195 225 Sep 1,148 Sep 103 160 86 135 17 4 34 73 224 312 Oct 821 Oct 79 92 66 83 20 18 57 198 208 Nov 653 Nov 46 80 62 62 8 4 7 48 148 188 Dec 823 Dec 61 96 70 120 6 1 28 40 172 229 Jan 890 Jan 70 111 73 141 7 5 20 56 199 208 Feb 920 Feb 79 107 72 122 21 3 20 52 194 250 Mar 1,276 Mar 94 183 93 169 12 28 29 73 244 351 Apr 889 Apr 85 99 71 95 17 2 11 53 182 274 May 856 May 88 115 71 103 18 6 10 46 171 228 Jun 1,011 Jun 73 127 89 130 9 5 17 55 227 279 Jul 1,033 Jul 81 135 90 134 12 13 23 59 238 248 Aug 1,019 Aug 74 114 75 113 5 6 28 66 219 319 Sep 1,310 Sep 97 258 86 124 19 5 40 57 273 351 Oct 882 Oct 86 88 76 123 14 4 12 62 190 227 Nov 914 Nov 65 96 92 88 14 4 10 61 221 263 Dec 927 Dec 65 100 72 74 21 2 12 72 237 272 DENIED category Personal Injury Prisoner Petitions Civil Rights Employment Civil Rights Other Civil Rights ADA Antitrust Patent Patent Labor Laws Contracts All Others 16 41 142 192 1. Data includes motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1)‐(7) in cases filed from January 2007 through December 2009. Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss cannot be broken out in this data. 2. Does not include data on whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend. 3. Data does not include MDL cases in either the total number of cases filed or the motions to dismiss. 4. The data were extracted directly from the text of 94 district court docket entries, rather than the official statistics system, and they did not pass through all the quality controls of the statistics system. Revised: February 12, 2010 Prepared by Statistics Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Cases and Motions to Dismiss Filed From January 2007 through December 2009 MOOT category Personal Injury Prisoner Petitions Civil Rights Employment Civil Rights Other Civil Rights ADA Antitrust Patent Labor Laws Contracts All Others GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART category Personal Injury Prisoner Petitions Civil Rights Employment Civil Rights Other Civil Rights ADA Antitrust Patent Labor Laws Contracts All Others Jan 252 Jan 25 24 27 43 3 2 13 12 47 56 Feb 236 Feb 17 36 28 33 3 6 11 45 57 Mar 349 Mar 24 29 38 62 10 2 23 62 99 Apr 249 Apr 21 22 27 41 2 1 17 48 70 2007 May Jun Jul 266 218 260 May Jun Jul 21 37 33 16 15 23 33 21 21 44 35 47 2 2 7 8 45 21 13 9 40 50 39 85 45 68 Aug 333 Aug 28 35 20 46 6 8 14 17 68 91 Sep 259 Sep 15 33 22 47 4 3 4 18 34 79 Oct 260 Oct 19 35 23 43 2 2 3 11 53 69 Nov 214 Nov 27 23 21 36 3 1 3 9 36 55 Dec 204 Dec 12 14 20 43 1 4 12 45 53 Jan 314 Jan 38 36 39 56 1 1 2 9 60 72 Feb 285 Feb 23 35 23 47 3 2 21 55 76 Mar 298 Mar 19 41 27 64 4 4 16 48 75 Apr 368 Apr 33 26 35 51 2 7 18 121 75 May 315 May 29 32 14 61 7 1 17 66 88 2008 Jun Jul 267 293 Jun Jul 32 31 37 32 21 25 48 49 4 1 2 7 11 14 42 63 70 71 Aug 257 Aug 21 28 17 53 6 1 1 18 39 73 Sep 334 Sep 27 35 23 67 3 20 11 13 47 88 Oct 268 Oct 27 26 23 58 3 2 5 22 42 60 Nov 213 Nov 13 18 17 33 3 3 5 27 33 61 Dec 278 Dec 24 21 26 57 2 2 6 16 52 72 Jan 275 Jan 32 27 32 50 7 ‐ 6 23 48 50 Feb 306 Feb 29 19 35 51 4 ‐ 11 20 45 92 Mar 390 Mar 36 32 39 72 1 ‐ 4 17 84 105 Apr 333 Apr 23 32 23 55 8 2 3 31 62 94 2009 May 322 May 39 38 36 64 1 2 2 14 59 67 Jun 357 Jun 38 28 26 71 2 2 3 20 72 95 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 371 Jan 22 42 58 73 6 3 5 25 69 68 Jan 263 Feb 26 32 46 50 6 3 3 11 45 41 Feb 586 Mar 30 65 71 153 6 3 2 26 103 127 Mar 250 Apr 17 14 49 55 1 2 5 15 37 55 Apr 319 May 18 21 40 97 2 3 21 51 66 May 295 Jun 9 27 43 74 5 3 3 7 53 71 Jun 299 Jul 19 27 39 65 2 3 19 54 71 Jul 356 Aug 23 31 44 72 8 5 4 15 66 88 Aug 390 Sep 15 64 38 77 5 3 6 21 60 101 Sep 285 Oct 21 20 48 60 3 1 5 20 49 58 Oct 286 Nov 11 22 26 74 3 3 6 19 51 71 Nov 226 Dec 22 17 28 52 4 1 12 47 43 Dec 299 Jan 16 42 45 54 9 3 14 44 72 Jan 335 Feb 21 32 52 69 3 1 5 19 67 66 Feb 545 Mar 28 73 69 122 12 3 5 20 74 139 Mar 296 Apr 20 20 44 58 7 3 12 54 78 Apr 325 May 16 45 43 52 5 1 5 17 50 91 May 315 Jun 29 29 44 65 3 1 4 19 57 64 Jun 342 Jul 19 33 49 58 6 2 6 19 80 70 Jul 390 Aug 32 64 48 63 2 11 20 13 52 85 Aug 470 Sep 30 58 50 91 7 2 7 18 74 133 Sep 330 Oct 25 17 35 72 9 2 9 14 76 71 Oct 271 Nov 10 28 29 55 5 3 5 17 44 75 Nov 358 Dec 19 17 40 59 5 11 17 49 141 Dec 303 Jan 16 27 43 70 9 5 5 17 45 66 Jan 371 Feb 20 50 44 77 3 3 6 16 52 100 Feb 586 Mar 28 81 63 152 20 4 5 30 87 116 Mar 287 Apr 9 24 46 58 9 3 6 16 58 58 Apr 377 May 13 34 32 62 7 2 3 11 103 110 May 428 Jun 18 36 56 100 3 3 5 15 86 106 Jun Jul 410 Jul 21 40 32 67 3 ‐ 14 25 81 127 Jul 435 Jul 22 51 40 84 8 3 31 79 117 Jul Aug 356 Aug 27 28 37 53 2 ‐ 16 29 52 112 Sep 467 Sep 19 49 43 81 6 6 3 29 95 136 Oct 347 Oct 15 37 29 56 9 10 8 20 69 94 Nov 309 Nov 33 24 30 38 8 4 8 11 60 93 Dec 328 Dec 17 29 31 68 5 6 1 23 55 93 Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 438 Aug 20 39 56 77 5 3 8 25 73 132 Aug 563 Sep 22 103 51 91 8 1 10 32 88 157 Sep 405 Oct 24 36 36 89 4 1 5 16 83 111 Oct 400 Nov 24 35 44 64 7 5 4 22 64 131 Nov 346 Dec 21 21 40 67 4 10 16 68 99 Dec 1. Data includes motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1)‐(7) in cases filed from January 2007 through December 2009. Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss cannot be broken out in this data. 2. Does not include data on whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend. 3. Data does not include MDL cases in either the total number of cases filed or the motions to dismiss. 4. The data were extracted directly from the text of 94 district court docket entries, rather than the official statistics system, and they did not pass through all the quality controls of the statistics system. Revised: February 12, 2010 Prepared by Statistics Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Motions to Dismiss by Nature of Suit Personal Injury Prisoner Petitions Civil Rights Employment Civil Rights ADA Civil Rights Other Antitrust/Patent 9,000 Labor Laws Contracts All Others Ashcroft v. Iqbal, May 2009 Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly , May 2007 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 0 1. Data includes motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1)-(7) in cases filed from January 2007 through December 2009. Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss cannot be broken out in this data. 2. Does not include data on whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend. 3. Data does not include MDL cases in the number of motions to dismiss. 4. The data were extracted directly from the text of 94 district court docket entries, rather than the official statistics system, and they did not pass through all the quality controls of the statistics system. Revised: February 12, 2010 Prepared by Statistics Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Rate of Motions to Dismiss Granted as Percentage of Total Cases Filed 18.0 Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly , May 2007 Ashcroft v. Iqbal, May 2009 16.0 14.0 12.0 Percent 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 0.0 1. Data includes motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1)‐(7) in cases filed from January 2007 through December 2009. Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss cannot be broken out in this data. 2. Data does not include motions to dismiss that were granted in part and denied in part. 3. Does not include data on whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend. 4. Data does not include MDL cases in either the total number of cases filed or the motions to dismiss. 5. The data were extracted directly from the text of 94 district court docket entries, rather than the official statistics system, and they did not pass through all the quality controls of the statistics system. Revised: February 12, 2010 Prepared by Statistics Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Rate of Motions to Dismiss Granted as Percentage of Total Cases Filed 18.0 Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly , May 2007 Ashcroft v. Iqbal, May 2009 16.0 14.0 12.0 Percent 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 0.0 1. Data includes motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1)‐(7) in cases filed from January 2007 through December 2009. Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss cannot be broken out in this data. 2. Data does not include motions to dismiss that were granted in part and denied in part. 3. Does not include data on whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend. 4. Data does not include MDL cases in either the total number of cases filed or the motions to dismiss. 5. The data were extracted directly from the text of 94 district court docket entries, rather than the official statistics system, and they did not pass through all the quality controls of the statistics system. Revised: February 12, 2010 Prepared by Statistics Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Motions to Dismiss Granted as Percentage of Total Motions to Dismiss 50.0 Ashcroft v. Iqbal, May 2009 Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly , May 2007 45.0 40.0 35.0 Percent ercent 30.0 25.0 20.0 15 0 15.0 10.0 50 5.0 2007 2008 Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 0.0 2009 1. Data includes motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1)‐(7) in cases filed from January 2007 through December 2009. Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss cannot be broken out in this data. 2. Data does not include motions to dismiss that were granted in part and denied in part. 3. Does not include data on whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend. 4. Data does not include MDL cases in the number of motions to dismiss. 5. The data were extracted directly from the text of 94 district court docket entries, rather than the official statistics system, and they did not pass through all the quality controls of the statistics system. Revised: February 12, 2010 Prepared by Statistics Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Motions to Dismiss Denied as Percentage of Total Motions to Dismiss 28.0 Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly , May 2007 Ashcroft v. Iqbal, May 2009 24.0 20.0 Percent ercent 16.0 12.0 8.0 4.0 2007 2008 Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 0.0 2009 1. Data includes motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1)‐(7) in cases filed from January 2007 through December 2009. Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss cannot be broken out in this data. 2. Data does not include motions to dismiss that were granted in part and denied in part. 3. Does not include data on whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend. 4. Data does not include MDL cases in the number of motions to dismiss. 5. The data were extracted directly from the text of 94 district court docket entries, rather than the official statistics system, and they did not pass through all the quality controls of the statistics system. Revised: February 12, 2010 Prepared by Statistics Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Ratio of Motions to Dismiss Granted in Relation to Motions to Dismiss Denied 3.5 Ashcroft v. Iqbal, May 2009 Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly , May 2007 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 2007 2008 Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan 0.0 2009 1. Data includes motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1)‐(7) in cases filed from January 2007 through December 2009. Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss cannot be broken out in this data. 2. Data does not include motions to dismiss that were granted in part and denied in part. 3. Does not include data on whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend. 4. Data does not include MDL cases in the number of motions to dismiss. 5. The data were extracted directly from the text of 94 district court docket entries, rather than the official statistics system, and they did not pass through all the quality controls of the statistics system. Revised: February 12, 2010 Prepared by Statistics Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts MOTIONS TO DISMISS IN “CIVIL RIGHTS EMPLOYMENT CASES” AND “CIVIL RIGHTS OTHER CASES” PRE-TWOMBLY (OCTOBER 2006 - APRIL 2007) AND POST-IQBAL (JUNE - DECEMBER 2009)* Civil Rights Employment Cases Monthly Average for Seven Months before Twombly 1,101 cases 523 motions to dismiss (48% of cases) 190 motions granted (17% of cases) 77 motions denied (7% of cases) Monthly Average for Seven Months after Iqbal 1,237 cases 542 motions to dismiss (44% of cases) 190 motions granted (15% of cases) 83 motions denied (7% of cases) Civil Rights Other Cases Monthly Average for Seven Months before Twombly 1,314 cases 878 motions to dismiss (67% of cases) 304 motions granted (23% of cases) 131 motions denied (10% of cases) * Monthly Average for Seven Months after Iqbal 1,403 cases 938 motions to dismiss (67% of cases) 338 motions granted (24% of cases) 112 motions denied (8% of cases) 1. Data includes motions to dismiss filed under Rule 12(b)(1)-(7) in cases filed seven months before Twombly and seven months after Iqbal. 2. Does not include data on whether motions to dismiss were granted with or without leave to amend. 3. Data does not include motions to dismiss that were granted in part and denied in part. 4. Data does not include MDL cases in the number of motions to dismiss. 5. The data were extracted directly from the text of 94 district court docket entries, rather than the official statistical system, and they did not pass through all the quality controls of the statistics system.
