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Trial Rates In Ohio Continue Decline, Statistical Report Reveals
By: Dan Trevas | Court News Ohio
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The 2013 Ohio Courts Statistical Summary contains statewide statistics on Ohio courts including a decline in the rate of cases going to trial.
The rate of cases going to trial in Ohio courts is on the decline and the state has seen five consecutive years of fewer overall filing of new cases, according to figures released by the Ohio Supreme Court.
Last year, 2.6 million cases were filed in Ohio courts. With the exception of traffic court cases, filings in most case types across all levels of courts are lower, according to the 2013 Ohio Courts Statistical Summary. The Supreme Court’s Case Management Section compiles the statewide statistics using data that Ohio courts are required to file. Detailed single-year data for 2013 in case types across all courts has been compiled in the companion 2013 Ohio Courts Statistical Report.
Among the findings is the downward trend of trial rates. In the courts of common pleas where felony criminal cases and civil disputes involving more than $15,000 are heard, the numbers of trials have dropped to a 2 percent rate for criminal cases and a 1.2 percent for civil. At their 10-year peak in 2004, nearly 4 percent of criminal cases and just more than 2 percent of civil cases went to trial.
Trial rates are equally low at the municipal and county court levels where they hear misdemeanors, traffic cases and civil cases involving $15,000 or less. While the civil trial rate crept up slightly to 1.9 percent, criminal trial rates are at 1.8 percent and 0.6 percent for traffic case trials.
Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor said the report is useful to courts by helping them better allocate resources, and assists in the efficient administration of justice at all levels of the judiciary.
“In addition, providing reliable, transparent and accessible data on the courts assists in enhancing public trust and confidence in the judicial system,” she said.
With the exception of the 1.4 percent increase in traffic cases, nearly every other category of cases has seen a decline in the number of new filings in 2013. Because the 1.26 million traffic cases represent nearly half of all cases filed in the state, the number greatly impacts the overall results. The courts experienced an overall 3-percent decrease in cases filed in 2013 compared to 2012.
Some of the largest drops included contract cases filed in municipal and county courts, which dropped by 25 percent in the last two years and by 48 percent since the peak of those types of cases in 2008. There was also a single-year decline of 25 percent in foreclosures and an 8-percent drop in juvenile delinquency filings.
Highlights from respective levels of courts include:
Supreme Court –
The total number of cases filed declined by 7 percent over 2012.
The average number of days to dispose of a case decreased to 124 days from 130.
The average number of days to decide a case with an opinion dropped to 115 days from 119 days.
Courts of Appeals –
The number of cased filed declined by 4 percent over 2012.
The number of cases filed declined by 21 percent since the 10-year peak of filings in 2005.
Courts of Common Pleas –
The largest number of cases filed is criminal followed by foreclosures.
With 64,943 new criminal cases filed in 2013, the figure is 21-percent less than the 10-year peak in 2006.
With 53,163 new foreclosure cases, they have dropped 40 percent from their 10-year high in 2009.
Divorces and dissolutions decreased 5 percent over 2012 and by 14 percent from the 10-year high in 2004. Related custody, visitation, and support cases dropped as well.
Guardianships for adults have experienced a10-percent increase in the last two years with 7,036 new cases filed in 2013.
Municipal and County Courts –
Traffic cases other than Operating a Vehicle while Under the Influence (OVI) constituted 61 percent of filings with 1,266,815 new cases.
Misdemeanor cases decreased 2 percent and are down 13 percent from the 10-year high in 2007.
OVI cases dropped 3 percent and have decreased by 19 percent since their 10-year peak in 2006.
Small claims case filings experienced a 38-percent drop since the 10-year high in 2004.
Read the full reports of the 2013 Ohio Courts Statistical Summary and the 2013 Ohio Courts Statistical Report.