Case Processing Time

We use the variable COMTOJUD to express in days the time from filing the complaint to final disposition in the trial court.

Here are the related codes and coding instructions:

COMFILMO COMPLAINT FILED-MONTH 34 35 F2
99 M DON'T KNOW
COMFILDA COMPLAINT FILED-DAY 36 37 F2
99 M DON'T KNOW
COMFILYR COMPLAINT FILED-YEAR 38 39 F2
99 M DON'T KNOW
FINDSPMO FINAL DISPOSITION-MONTH 46 47 F2
99 M DON'T KNOW
FINDSPDA FINAL DISPOSITION-DAY 48 49 F2
99 M DON'T KNOW
FINDSPYR FINAL DISPOSITION-YEAR 50 51 F2
98 M NA 99 M DON'T KNOW
COMTOJUD TIME FROM COMPLAINT TO JUDGMENT(DAYS) 253 262 F10.2
COMJUD1 RECODE OF COMTOJUD (MONTHS) 263 272 F10.2

6. Date: 1st Complaint Filed: This is the date the case was filed in the
court or clerk's office. 11. Date: Final Disposition: We define a case as disposed when a judgment
or dismissal is entered on the last active claim between the last active
plaintiff(s) and defendant(s) in the case. This is the date the judgment or
dismissal was signed by a judge or clerk (the date the disposition is
officially in effect), not the date the judgment or dismissal was entered
on the computer system (if it is different from the date the
judgment/dismissal was signed). In cases with multiple plaintiffs or
defendants there could be multiple "disposition" codes on an automated case history
or in the manual file. We want the last final disposition; the one
that closes the case for the last remaining plaintiff(s) and defendant(s).