Southern District of Florida

Southern District of Florida Patent Litigation Profile

Date: 2026-05-02

Overview: The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, a constituent court of the Eleventh Circuit, has jurisdiction over a nine-county region in South Florida, with courthouses in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce, and Key West. Appeals from this court are directed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for patent cases. While not traditionally a high-volume patent venue, the district has seen a modest increase in patent case filings in recent years, with 73 cases filed in 2021, up from 59 in 2020. This trend is expected to continue due to the significant growth of the tech industry in the Miami area.

Reputation and Procedures: The Southern District of Florida is known for its fast-paced civil docket. In 2023, it was the second-fastest district court in the country, with a median time to a civil trial of 19.5 months. Historically, a Price Waterhouse Coopers study covering 1995-2013 ranked the district as one of the more favorable jurisdictions for patent defendants. While many other districts have adopted specific local patent rules, the Southern District of Florida has not; however, it was part of a 10-year patent pilot program that began in 2011 to develop judicial expertise in patent law, though the district later opted to terminate its participation in 2014.

Notable Cases and Judges: The court's docket includes a variety of patent infringement cases. One such tracked case is VPR Brands, LP v. HQDTech USA LLC et al., a 2021 case that ultimately settled. More recently, in a 2025 ruling, District Judge Scola sanctioned a plaintiff's local counsel for procedural missteps driven by out-of-state lead counsel in a patent infringement suit, underscoring the court's expectation of adherence to proper procedure. While the district terminated its formal patent pilot program, several judges have experience with patent matters. Judges who were designated to hear patent cases under the former program included Judge K. Michael Moore and Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks, who remain active in the district.