What are we measuring?

A judgment is an official designation that signifies that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit has prevailed in their court case against the defendant and are entitled to the full amount of money damages sought. In contrast, a settlement is an agreement by both parties to the lawsuit that resolves their dispute prior to trial.  This measure tracks the number of judgments against the County as a percentage of all lawsuits.

Why are we measuring it?

Lawsuits against the County resulting in judgments for the plaintiff generally result in higher awards paid by the County and places full blame on the County.

How are we doing?

The County lost only 1% of the lawsuits filed against it in 2018, matching the 2017 rate and down from 2.3% in 2016 and 4.5% in 2015.  The remaining 99% were either won or resulted in a settlement. In 2018, 313 cases were won, 5 were lost and 266 were settled.