New claims rise by 44% in the week before Christmas

Solomonic data indicating that the lead up to Christmas is consistently one of the busiest periods of the year for new claims.

With Christmas fast approaching, many are preparing to wind down for the year. However, litigation is not switching off. December is consistently marked by a surge in new claims, particularly in the days leading up to the court’s holiday closure. The chart highlights this pattern: darker orange shows the days with the highest filings, while quieter days appear in grey or light yellow.

Since 2014, 88 claims have been issued on Christmas Eve, but only 2 on Christmas Day itself and Boxing Day has seen just 3 in total. The real spike lands in the final working days before Christmas, when High Court filings jump sharply. This often falls in Week 51, where new claims typically rise by 44%, increasing from the annual weekly average of 197 to more than 283 claims. Last year, December 20th recorded the month’s peak with 90 filings in a single day.

This late-December flurry is a clear pattern in the litigation calendar. It suggests not just urgency but also a tactical use of the calendar, potentially catching defendants off guard.

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