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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

Armstead

Sep 3, 2021D. Neb.Dismissed

Greater St. Louis Construction Laborers Welfare Fund v. Anderson & Anderson Backhoe Service/Demolition, LLC

Sep 2, 2021E.D. Mo.Plaintiff Win

Menge

Sep 1, 2021N.D. IowaMixed Result

Williams v. Unemployment Securities

Aug 30, 2021E.D. Mo.Dismissed

National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburg, Pa. v. Cargill Inc

Aug 24, 2021D. Minn.Defendant Win

Jackman

Aug 19, 2021D. Minn.Dismissed

Greater St. Louis Construction Laborers Welfare Fund v. Concrete Coring Company of St. Louis, Inc.

Aug 17, 2021E.D. Mo.Mixed Result

Arthofer

Aug 17, 2021E.D. Mo.Mixed Result

Parada

Aug 17, 2021D. Minn.Plaintiff Win

King

Aug 13, 2021W.D. Ark.Defendant Win

Burns

Aug 12, 2021D. Minn.Defendant Win

Gist

Aug 9, 2021E.D. Mo.Remanded

Bohner

Aug 3, 2021E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Duckett

Aug 2, 2021W.D. Mo.Dismissed

Thompson

Aug 2, 2021E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Craven

Aug 2, 2021W.D. Ark.Dismissed

Holstad

Jul 30, 2021D. Minn.Defendant Win

Nahal

Jul 30, 2021D. Minn.Dismissed

Tessier's, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor

Jul 22, 20218th CircuitDefendant Win

Benford

Jul 19, 2021E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

R. Henson v. Union Pacific Railroad Company

Jul 8, 20218th CircuitDefendant Win

Williams v. Unemployment Securities

Jul 7, 2021E.D. Mo.Dismissed

Robinson

Jul 6, 2021W.D. Mo.Mixed Result

Rodolfo Quiles v. Union Pacific Railroad Company

Jul 6, 20218th CircuitDefendant Win

Albelo

Jun 29, 2021W.D. Mo.Plaintiff Win

Jackson v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.

Jun 28, 2021D. Minn.Mixed Result

Prokes

Jun 25, 2021D. Minn.Defendant Win

Henne

Jun 18, 2021D. Minn.Dismissed

Gist

Jun 16, 2021E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Brandt

Jun 14, 2021N.D. IowaDismissed

Gutherless

Jun 10, 2021D. Neb.Mixed Result

Hague

Jun 10, 2021D. Neb.Mixed Result

Nasuti

Jun 8, 2021D.S.D.Plaintiff Win

Bray Sheet Metal Company v. International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART) Local Union No 36-L AFL-CIO

May 26, 2021E.D. Ark.Plaintiff Win

Marburgh

May 11, 2021D. Neb.Defendant Win

Carr

May 3, 2021E.D. Mo.Remanded

Trambly

Apr 26, 2021D. Neb.Remanded

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. El Vallarta, LLC

Apr 22, 2021D. Neb.Settlement

Smith v. Carl E. Johnson Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Apr 20, 2021D. Minn.Settlement

Dawkins

Apr 19, 2021D. Neb.Defendant Win

Owens

Apr 15, 2021D. Neb.Defendant Win

Lisa Macon v. Arkansas Workers Compensation

Apr 9, 20218th CircuitDefendant Win

Chowdada

Apr 8, 2021E.D. Mo.Defendant Win

Scarpino

Apr 6, 2021D. Neb.Plaintiff Win

Edgett

Apr 1, 2021D. Neb.Plaintiff Win

Fellows

Mar 25, 2021D. Minn.Dismissed

Together Credit Union v. Allied Solutions, LLC

Mar 23, 2021E.D. Mo.Dismissed

Union Pacific Railroad Company v. Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Mar 18, 2021D. Neb.Settlement

Local 513 International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO v. James Martin Excavating Inc.

Mar 17, 2021E.D. Mo.Plaintiff Win

Transdev Services, Inc. v. NLRB

Mar 16, 20218th CircuitDefendant Win

Browse Other Circuits

Explore employment rulings from the other federal 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.