COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — 41,000 cases in categories that include car-loan defaults and credit-card debt will have been filed in Franklin County Municipal Court is projected by the end of the year, according to data provided to ABC6 by the court.
The court’s chart lists more than 34,000 “Contracts, Notes and Accounts” cases through mid-October of 2026. The figure 41,000 is already higher than any year in the chart’s 21-year history —and about 11% above the 37,090 cases filed in all of 2025.
The category includes different kinds of disputes. Contract cases can involve services allegedly paid for but not completed. Note cases can involve loans, including car loans. Account cases can involve credit-card debt. The combined total does not show which type is driving the increase. ABC6 has requested a breakdown from the court.
The chart shows filings rose to 30,082 in 2008, during the housing crisis, before falling to 13,658 in 2013. They began climbing again in recent years: 20,946 in 2023, 30,499 in 2024 and 37,090 in 2025. The 2024 total was about 46% higher than 2023, and 2025 filings rose another 22%. The clerk’s annual reports identify those increases in the same case category…