Average duration and related statistics of tort lawsuits in Mexico City

Abstract

The time that courts take to resolve legal disputes for the parties before them, at the trial level, is an important indicator that should be taken into account when evaluating the economy and the prospects for democracy in a country. Several international organizations have paid close attention to the duration of trials. Unfortunately, in Mexico studies that look into the duration of trials are scarce and far too few. This paper hopes to contribute to the information available on this topic, with respect to one of the jurisdictions that make up Mexico, the federal district that comprises Mexico City. Specifically, we take a look at the duration of tort trials there between 1995 and 2008. The data we uncover is surprising in quite a positive way, tort trials in Mexico City take on average about three years to be argued and decided, which is less time that in many other latitudes, even in developed countries. Yet, in another sense, we strike a cautionary tone in interpreting the data. Many such trails continue in Mexico from the local to the federal level, through the abuse of amparo remedies.