Decisions by district courts in civil cases

These statistics on civil cases describe civil cases instigated and decided by district courts during the year by district court and type of case. Civil cases refer to the settling of disputes between private persons or enterprises at an independent court. As a rule a civil case is instigated when the plaintiff presents a written application for a summons expressing the demands and the grounds to them to the office of a district court. An application for a summons may also be presented electronically. The biggest group of civil cases handled by district courts concern obligations between debtors and creditors, sales of movable property, employment contracts or commissions, and tenancy agreements. Non-contentious civil cases are instigated with an application in which the court is requested to confirm an action or record a matter in a public register. Examples of non-contentious civil cases are divorces, cases concerning the custody of or right of access to a child, and guardianship cases.