Number of suits filed in Orleans Parish down 4 percent from '09

The total number of suits filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court is down 4 percent from its 2009 total with two days left to file in 2010, according to a search of the court's document filing system.

A total of 13,101 suits have been filed in Orleans Parish as of Dec. 29, 2010. In 2009, a total of 13,553 lawsuits were filed. The civil court's database includes all civil suits filed, including the domestic docket.

The largest number of cases had to do with foreclosures, with 1,953 suits filed. That number is up from 1,885 in 2009. Motor vehicle suits came in second with 1,826 filed (up from 1,766 in 2009) and divorces round out the top three with 1,318 filed.

After divorces, foreclosures and car accidents, the most non-domestic suits filed had to do with contracts, with 600 filed in 2010. That number is down from the 764 contract suits filed in 2009. Hurricane suits also saw a significant drop, with 193 suits filed this year as opposed to 321 filed in 2009.

The Orleans Parish asbestos docket was reduced slightly, from 29 suits filed in 2009 to 23 this year. Premises liability suits increased this year, however, with 287 suits filed compared to the 258 filed in 2009.

Seven class action suits, 35 motor vehicle and product liability suits and 86 medical malpractice suits – down exactly one from last year – round out the major civil docket in 2010.

The Orleans Parish Civil Court is funded exclusively from administration fees related to suits and other paperwork filed in the court. The Orleans judges administer the funds through the Judicial Expense Fund, which pays all the costs for day-to-day operation of the courts.