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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

Nancy J. Johnson v. U.S. Bancorp Broad-Based Change in Control Severance Pay Program Severance Administration Committee

Oct 12, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

In Re Union Pacific Rr Employment Practices Lit.

Oct 7, 2005D. Neb.Plaintiff Win

1st Union Natl. Bank v. Paul Benham

Sep 13, 20058th CircuitRemanded

National Labor Relations Board v. St. Clair Die Casting, L.L.C.

Sep 13, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

NLRB v. St. Clair Die

Sep 13, 20058th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Employers Mutual Casualty Company v. Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings, Inc.

Aug 16, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

Employers Mutual v. Collins & Aikman

Aug 16, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

Norberg

Aug 4, 2005S.D. IowaDefendant Win

In Re Union Pacific Rr Employment Practices Lit.

Jul 22, 2005D. Neb.Plaintiff Win

Hansen

Jul 19, 2005D.S.D.Plaintiff Win

Ace Electrical Contractors, Inc. v. International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers, Local Union Number 292

Jul 14, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

IBEW

Jul 14, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

Tower Village v. SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERN. UNION

Jul 1, 2005E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

National Labor Relations Board v. Rockline Industries, Inc.

Jun 21, 20058th CircuitPlaintiff Win

NLRB v. Rockline Ind.

Jun 21, 20058th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Midwest Precision Heating & Cooling, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board

May 19, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

Carr

May 18, 2005D.N.D.Defendant Win

Minnesota Licensed Practical Nurses Association v. National Labor Relations Board, Alexandria Clinic P.A., Intervenor on Appeal

May 11, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

MN Licensed Nurses v. NLRB

May 11, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

Chicago Truck Drivers, Helpers & Warehouse Workers Union Pension Fund v. Brotherhood Labor Leasing

May 4, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

Howell v. Arkansas Employment Security Department

May 2, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

In Re Xcel Energy, Inc., Securities, Derivative

Apr 8, 2005D. Minn.Settlement

Adams

Mar 22, 2005D. Neb.Defendant Win

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board

Mar 14, 20058th CircuitMixed Result

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board

Mar 14, 20058th CircuitMixed Result

Adams

Feb 25, 2005D. Neb.Remanded

United Steel Workers of America v. Titan Tire Corp.

Feb 18, 2005S.D. IowaPlaintiff Win

EEOC v. Trans States Airlines, Inc.

Feb 9, 2005E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Edlund

Jan 24, 2005D. Minn.Defendant Win

The Federal Labor Relations Authority v. United States Department Of Justice

Jan 21, 20058th CircuitMixed Result

Sheppard

Jan 20, 2005E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Lenz

Jan 19, 2005S.D. IowaDefendant Win

National Labor Relations Board v. McGuire Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Jan 19, 20058th CircuitPlaintiff Win

National Labor Relations Board v. Zarcon, Inc.

Jan 18, 20058th CircuitPlaintiff Win

SHARON HESSE, — v. AVIS RENT a CAR SYSTEM, INC., — EQUAL EMPLOYMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL, AMICUS ON BEHALF Of

Jan 10, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

Banks v. International Union Electronic

Jan 4, 20058th CircuitDefendant Win

Johnson v. University of Iowa

Dec 16, 2004S.D. IowaDefendant Win

National Labor Relations Board v. La-Z-Boy Midwest, a Division of La-Z-Boy Incorporated

Dec 7, 20048th CircuitMixed Result

NLRB v. LA-Z-BOY MIDWEST

Dec 7, 20048th CircuitMixed Result

Banks v. International Union Electronic

Dec 3, 20048th CircuitDefendant Win

Oak River Ins. Co. v. Taxpayers of Adair

Dec 3, 20048th CircuitDefendant Win

Terra Industries, Inc. Terra International, Inc. v. National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa

Oct 27, 20048th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Teamsters Local Union 682 v. Kci Construction Company, Inc.

Oct 20, 20048th CircuitRemanded

IBEW

Aug 26, 20048th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Des Moines Mailers Union, Teamsters Local No. 358 v. National Labor Relations Board, Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, Intervenor on Appeal

Aug 25, 20048th CircuitDefendant Win

Des Moines Mailers v. NLRB

Aug 25, 20048th CircuitDefendant Win

Timothy Gamradt v. Federal Laboratories

Aug 25, 20048th CircuitMixed Result

McKenzie Engineering Company, Petitioner/cross-Respondent v. National Labor Relations Board, Respondent/cross-Petitioner

Aug 19, 20048th CircuitMixed Result

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society

Aug 17, 2004D. Neb.Mixed Result

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL MAILERS UNION, LOCAL 4, — v. NORTHWEST PUBLICATIONS, INC., DOING BUSINESS AS ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, —

Aug 13, 20048th CircuitDefendant Win

Showing 1,0511,100 of 1,462 rulings · Page 22 of 30

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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.