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Employment Rulings in the Eighth Circuit

The Eighth Circuit covers the federal courts in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The rulings below come from the circuit's court of appeals and the federal trial courts within it.

Of the 1,462 published rulings we track here (19732026), the breakdowns below show how they were decided. They describe published opinions only — not the odds of any particular situation.

How These Rulings Ended

Of the 1,462 published rulings we track in the Eighth Circuit.

Defendant Win
660 (45%)
Plaintiff Win
255 (17%)
Mixed Result
244 (17%)
Dismissed
176 (12%)
Remanded
100 (7%)
Settlement
27 (2%)

What Happens at Each Stage

A workplace lawsuit moves through stages, and a ruling can end it at any of them. Here is where the 1,452 rulings we could classify by stage were decided.

Appeal
647 (45%)

A higher court reviewing an earlier decision. Many published opinions come from this stage, after a lot has already happened in the case.

Summary judgment
310 (21%)

A ruling where the judge decides the case — or part of it — without a trial, because one side argues the key facts are not in dispute. For workers, getting past this step is often the biggest hurdle.

Of the 310 summary-judgment rulings here, 196 ended the case in the employer’s favor and 114 let the worker’s claims continue.

Motion to dismiss
385 (27%)

An early request — usually by the employer — to throw the case out before any evidence is gathered.

Trial verdict
49 (3%)

A judge or jury heard the evidence and reached a decision. Relatively few disputes get this far.

Settlement / consent decree
26 (2%)

The two sides resolved the dispute by agreement, sometimes with court approval. Most settlements are private and never show up in published opinions.

Default judgment
24 (2%)

A decision entered because one side did not respond to the case at all.

Other rulings
11 (1%)

Procedural decisions and orders that do not fit the main stages above.

States in This Circuit

Browse rulings from courts in each state the Eighth Circuit covers.

Recent Rulings in the Eighth Circuit

Laborers-Employers Pension Trust v. Panera Bread

Mar 16, 2010E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Haviland

Mar 12, 2010S.D. IowaMixed Result

Holschen

Mar 12, 20108th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Schwan's Home Service

Mar 8, 2010D. Minn.Defendant Win

National Labor Relations Board v. Fortune Bay Resort Casino

Feb 25, 2010D. Minn.Defendant Win

Hopkins

Feb 18, 2010W.D. Mo.Mixed Result

Rodgers

Feb 16, 2010S.D. IowaDefendant Win

Fields

Feb 10, 2010S.D. IowaDefendant Win

Grobe

Jan 20, 2010E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Rodney Cook v. Union Pacific RR Co.

Jan 20, 20108th CircuitDefendant Win

Mahony

Jan 14, 2010S.D. IowaDefendant Win

Hunter Levi v. United States Dept of Labor

Jan 14, 20108th CircuitDefendant Win

Smith v. Local Union No. 110, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

Jan 13, 2010D. Minn.Defendant Win

Bevill v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.

Dec 30, 2009S.D. IowaDefendant Win

Qwest Corporation v. Anne Boyle

Dec 29, 20098th CircuitRemanded

Burch v. Qwest Communications International, Inc.

Dec 16, 2009D. Minn.Mixed Result

American Cleaners & Laundry Co. v. Textile Processors, Service Trades, Health Care, Professional & Technical Employees International Union Local 161

Dec 16, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Cintas Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board

Dec 15, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Cintas Corporation v. NLRB

Dec 15, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Thompson

Dec 8, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Alan Thompson v. United Transportation Union

Dec 8, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Hibbing Taconite Co.

Dec 7, 2009D. Minn.Dismissed

Myers v. CROELL REDI-MIX, INC.

Dec 4, 2009N.D. IowaDefendant Win

Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc.

Nov 30, 20098th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Jack Gross v. FBL Financial Services

Nov 30, 20098th CircuitRemanded

Richard Adams v. Eureka Fire Protection Dstr.

Oct 20, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

McAdams

Oct 20, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Joseph McAdams v. Moore Stephens Frost, PLC

Oct 20, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Clausen

Oct 9, 2009D.N.D.Defendant Win

Willie Watson v. Neighbors Credit Union

Oct 5, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Lee v. Nucor-Yamato Steel Co.

Sep 30, 2009E.D. Ark.Mixed Result

Fenton v. Farmers Insurance Exchange

Sep 29, 2009D. Minn.Mixed Result

Onyiah v. St. Cloud State University

Sep 17, 2009D. Minn.Mixed Result

Bishop

Sep 14, 2009W.D. Ark.Defendant Win

Union Electric Co. v. James Devine

Sep 11, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Siouxland Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Associates, L.L.P.

Aug 27, 20098th CircuitPlaintiff Win

McPhetridge v. IBEW, Local Union No. 53

Aug 27, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

National Labor Relations Board v. John T. Jones Construction Co.

Aug 14, 20098th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Pandey

Aug 10, 2009D. Minn.Mixed Result

Luiken v. Domino's Pizza, LLC

Aug 3, 2009D. Minn.Mixed Result

Burks

Jul 24, 2009D. Minn.Mixed Result

Timothy Merriam v. Natl. Union Fire Ins. Co.

Jul 17, 20098th CircuitMixed Result

Hogan v. United Parcel Service

Jul 13, 2009W.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Roach Manufacturing Corp. v. Northstar Industries, Inc.

Jun 26, 2009E.D. Ark.Mixed Result

International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America v. Rousselot, Inc.

Jun 24, 20098th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Donnelly

Jun 19, 2009E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Michael McKinzy, Sr. v. Union Pacific Railroad Company

Jun 15, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

McKINZY

Jun 15, 20098th CircuitDefendant Win

Beatty

Jun 8, 2009S.D. IowaDefendant Win

Miner

May 20, 2009D.N.D.Defendant Win

Browse Other Circuits

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These figures summarize publicly available published court opinions only. Published opinions over-represent summary-judgment rulings (decisions made without a trial) and appeals, because those are the stages where judges most often write formal opinions. Most workplace disputes settle privately and never appear here at all. A ruling’s outcome reflects many case-specific factors and is not a prediction for any other situation. Read more about how we source and classify rulings.

Data sourced from public federal court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes extracted using AI analysis. This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The classification of outcomes and case stages is based on automated analysis and may not reflect the full scope of each case.