Oregon judicial officials report rising civil caseloads, strain on tenant and debt cases

State court administrators told the Public Safety Subcommittee on Feb. 4 that civil case filings in Oregon rose 14% since 2020 and reached just over 190,000 cases in 2024, with large increases in consumer debt and landlord-tenant matters.

The Judicial Department’s state court administrator, Nancy Kozine, said the rise has been broad: "Civil case filings have been rising. They rose 14% since 2020 with just over 190,000 cases in 2024." The increase is concentrated in general civil matters, small claims and landlord-tenant filings, officials said.

Kozine told lawmakers the distribution of case types reflects “the diverse legal needs of Oregon.” General civil categories account for roughly 30% of filings, and a combined category of general civil, small claims and procedural matters reached 104,109 filings in fiscal 2024, she said. Consumer debt makes up about half of general civil filings and is driving high-volume dockets.

"Sixty-nine percent of consumer debt cases result in default judgments because the defendant doesn't respond," Kozine said, attributing defaults to lack of awareness, confusion about procedures and financial hardship. She said the department is studying the data to reduce defaults.

Landlord-tenant filings are at their highest recorded level, Kozine said, with an 11% increase since 2020. The department highlighted eviction diversion pilots, mediation and expanded facilitation services as responses intended to reduce unnecessary evictions while allowing landlords to recover losses. Mediation is available in nine judicial districts, with settlement rates ranging from about 50% in Jackson County to about 90% in Deschutes County, Kozine said.

Kozine also pointed to legislative action to limit the long-term housing effects of eviction records. She said House Bill 2001 was passed to seal certain eviction court records, and that an automated process has sealed eviction records benefiting 66,166 individuals for records processed in December 2024.

Family-related filings also rose. Kozine said protective order filings increased 17% since 2020—from about 15,634 in 2020 to 19,149 in 2024—and that 86% of family-law cases involve at least one self-represented litigant. Guardianships and conservatorships have increased as well; Kozine reported that 40% of new guardianship cases involve a protected person over age 65 and that the courts audited over $34,200,000 in conservatorship assets in 2024. She said the department now oversees about $1,400,000,000 in conservatorship assets.

The department described facilitation services—staff trained to help litigants identify and complete forms but not offer legal advice—and online tools such as Guide and File to help self-represented parties prepare documents. Kozine said facilitation historically centered on family law but is expanding; staffing remains limited.

Why it matters: the rise in consumer debt and landlord-tenant cases places new burdens on courts and on litigants who often lack lawyers. Department officials emphasized efforts to improve access with diversion programs, expanded facilitation and sealed eviction records under HB 2001 to reduce collateral housing consequences.

The department made several data and follow-up offers to the committee, including breakouts of Guide and File users by case type and further analysis of attorney case switching between criminal and civil dockets.

Officials concluded the informational portion of the meeting and handed the floor to the Judicial Department’s operations staff for a review of IT systems and online services.