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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

Wicks

Sep 12, 2025E.D. Mo.Dismissed

Goodlow

Sep 11, 2025W.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Samuelson

Sep 9, 2025D.S.D.Defendant Win

Hobson

Sep 8, 2025E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Christianson

Sep 5, 2025D. Neb.Dismissed

Kotalik

Sep 5, 2025D. Minn.Dismissed

Harris

Sep 5, 2025W.D. Mo.Dismissed

Gustilo

Sep 4, 2025D. Minn.Dismissed

Myers

Sep 3, 2025E.D. Mo.Remanded

Myers

Sep 2, 2025E.D. Mo.Dismissed

Knighten

Sep 2, 2025E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

O'Connor

Aug 29, 2025D. Neb.Mixed Result

Glynn

Aug 28, 2025E.D. Mo.Dismissed

Fotoohighiam

Aug 28, 2025W.D. Mo.Dismissed

Johnson v. People Ready

Aug 26, 2025D.S.D.Mixed Result

United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union v. Magnitude 7 Metals, LLC.

Aug 22, 2025E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Luebbers

Aug 21, 2025E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Carpenter

Aug 19, 2025E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Kleinsteuber

Aug 19, 2025D. Minn.Defendant Win

American Multi-Cinema, Inc. v. Woodsonia Hwy 281, LLC

Aug 14, 2025D. Neb.Defendant Win

Kirksey

Aug 4, 2025D. Neb.Dismissed

T&T Management, Inc. v. Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Aug 4, 2025D. Minn.Dismissed

Abdi

Jul 31, 2025D. Minn.Plaintiff Win

Hitt

Jul 31, 2025E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Rebequi

Jul 28, 2025D. Neb.Dismissed

Markt

Jul 25, 2025D. Neb.Dismissed

Boggis

Jul 23, 2025D. Minn.Dismissed

Quinlan

Jul 21, 2025D. Minn.Dismissed

Harrison

Jul 21, 2025E.D. Mo.Dismissed

Su

Jul 21, 2025D. Minn.Defendant Win

Myers

Jul 15, 2025E.D. Mo.Mixed Result

Abarca

Jul 3, 2025D. Neb.Defendant Win

Mora

Jun 30, 2025D. Minn.Defendant Win

Dieter

Jun 16, 2025D. Neb.Defendant Win

Myers

Jun 2, 2025E.D. Mo.Dismissed

Bergman

May 22, 2025E.D. Mo.Dismissed

Gibson

May 13, 2025D. Neb.Defendant Win

Kanter

May 13, 2025D. Neb.Dismissed

Rutz

May 13, 2025E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Kasso

May 9, 2025D. Minn.Mixed Result

Board of Trustees of Omaha Construction Industry Pension Fund v. Kotas Enterprises, LLC

May 7, 2025D. Neb.Plaintiff Win

Johnson v. Short Staffed Inc.

May 7, 2025D.S.D.Plaintiff Win

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. St. Cloud Area Family YMCA

May 6, 2025D. Minn.Settlement

Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council v. Achieving Vision Builders, LLC

May 5, 2025E.D. Mo.Plaintiff Win

Lewis

Apr 29, 2025W.D. Mo.Mixed Result

Middleton

Apr 28, 2025E.D. Mo.Dismissed

Christensen

Apr 24, 2025D. Neb.Plaintiff Win

Klaysmat

Apr 24, 2025D. Minn.Mixed Result

El Karmassi v. LOT Corporation

Apr 23, 2025D.S.D.Plaintiff Win

FCA US LLC v. International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, The

Apr 17, 2025D. Minn.Dismissed

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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.