Lex Machina 2026 Consumer Protection Litigation Report: Federal Filings Jump 31% to a Ten-Year Peak

New report finds TCPA filings rose 63%, FCRA filings increased 44%, and damage awards climbed 35% to $7.5 billion in 2025

San Jose, CA, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional today released the Lex Machina^® 2026 Consumer Protection Litigation Report, which finds that federal consumer protection filings rose 31% to 20,353 in 2025, the high annual total in the ten-year period studied. More than 12,000 new lawsuits followed in the first half of 2026, putting annual filings on pace to rise again.

Drawing on powerful litigation data and exclusive insights from Lex Machina^®, the LexisNexis^® Legal Analytics^® platform, the report examines federal district and circuit litigation involving credit reporting, debt collection, telemarketing, data breaches, and other consumer disputes. It focuses on 2023 through 2025, with historical comparisons dating to 2016 and observations from the first half of 2026.

The analysis explores trends in 165,443 consumer protection cases in federal district courts and 8,502 federal circuit court cases docketed from 2016 through 2025, plus observations for cases filed so far in 2026. It includes hard numbers that capture the timing, outcomes, findings, and damage awards for each case along with the experience of the attorneys, law firms, judges, and litigants involved.

Three major shifts stood out in 2025:

• TCPA filings jumped 63%. Plaintiffs filed 2,748 cases alleging Telephone Consumer Protection Act violations, up from 1,682 in 2024. The upswing continued into the first half of 2026, when plaintiffs filed another 1,658 TCPA lawsuits.
• FCRA filings rose 44%. Fair Credit Reporting Act cases reached 7,750, an increase of 2,386 over 2024. These cases accounted for approximately 38% of federal consumer protection filings in 2025, compared with 19% in 2016. Plaintiffs filed roughly 4,986 additional FCRA cases in the first half of 2026.
• Fewer cases produced substantially higher damage awards. Recorded principal damage awards increased 35% to approximately $7.5 billion, excluding costs, fees, expenses, and interest. The number of cases with awards declined from 452 in 2024 to 437 in 2025. A single $2.5 billion consent judgment accounted for approximately one-third of the 2025 total.

“Data breach lawsuits rose 21% in 2025, a trend that matters to businesses across industries that handle sensitive consumer information,” said Eric Wright, senior vice president for Lex Machina at LexisNexis. “Companies and their law firms need to understand how similar disputes have progressed and what drove their outcomes. Lex Machina makes those insights easy to find and apply, helping legal teams assess exposure, plan litigation budgets, and develop informed strategies for motions, trials, appeals, and settlement negotiations.”

To request a copy of the report, visit LexisNexis.com/LexMachina.

The Lex Machina platform equips litigation professionals to develop stronger case strategies and generate business. From precise timing metrics that inform legal budgeting to trend data on top law firms and leading judges, Lex Machina supplements traditional legal research and experience with customized, data-backed insights. These insights help lawyers identify and pursue new matters, navigate motion and trial strategies, and negotiate smarter settlements, ultimately giving firms a competitive edge in litigation.

About LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional

LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional provides AI-powered legal, regulatory, business information, analytics and workflows that help customers increase their productivity, improve decision-making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis^® and Nexis^® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 11,900 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.

About Lex Machina

Lex Machina^® fundamentally changes how companies and law firms compete in the business and practice of law. The company provides strategic insights on judges, lawyers, law firms, parties, and other critical information across 22 federal practice areas and a rapidly growing number of state courts. Lex Machina allows law firms and companies to anticipate the behaviors and outcomes that different legal strategies will produce, supporting more effective case strategy and business development efforts.

Lex Machina was named Winner of the “Overall LegalTech Data Solution Provider of the Year” LegalTech Breakthrough Award 2025, “Best Data Analytics & Insight Solution” 2025 CODiE Award, and Winner of the “Media Excellence Award” for Analytics/Big Data 2024. Based in Silicon Valley, Lex Machina is part of LexisNexis^®, a leading global provider of legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics. For more information, please visit https://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/products/lex-machina.page.

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