Employment Rulings in the First Circuit
The First Circuit covers the federal courts in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico. The rulings below come from the circuit's court of appeals and the federal trial courts within it.
Of the 367 published rulings we track here (1983–2026), 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 367 published rulings we track in the First Circuit.
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 361 rulings we could classify by stage were decided.
A higher court reviewing an earlier decision. Many published opinions come from this stage, after a lot has already happened in the case.
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 72 summary-judgment rulings here, 48 ended the case in the employer’s favor and 24 let the worker’s claims continue.
An early request — usually by the employer — to throw the case out before any evidence is gathered.
A judge or jury heard the evidence and reached a decision. Relatively few disputes get this far.
The two sides resolved the dispute by agreement, sometimes with court approval. Most settlements are private and never show up in published opinions.
A decision entered because one side did not respond to the case at all.
Procedural decisions and orders that do not fit the main stages above.
Top Claim Types
Top Employers
- United States Postal Service4
- Raytheon Company4
- DCP Midstream, L.P.4
- The Wheatleigh Corporation3
- Abbott Laboratories, Inc.3
- Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada3
States in This Circuit
Browse rulings from courts in each state the First Circuit covers.
Recent Rulings in the First Circuit
International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 4 v. Stanley Excavation
Holloway
International Ass'n of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental & Reinforcing Iron Workers Union Local 7 v. Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, Inc.
Hospital Cristo Redentor, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
Judkins
Bath Marine Draftsmen's Ass'n v. National Labor Relations Board
John Hancock Life Insurance Company John Hancock Variable Life Insurance Company and Investors Partner Life Insurance Company v. Abbott Laboratories
Pesante
Holsum De Puerto Rico, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
National Labor Relations Board v. Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union Local 26
Conroy
Vieques Air Link, Inc. v. United States Department of Labor
National Labor Relations Board v. Pan American Grain Co.
Massachusetts Nurses Ass'n v. North Adams Regional Hospital
Tejada-Batista
ARMANDO MÉNDEZ-LABOY v. ABBOTT LABORATORIES, INC.
Ortiz-Bou
Commercial Union Insurance v. Swiss Reinsurance America Corp.
Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers International Union, Local 1-9 v. S.D. Warren Co.
Sturm Ruger & Co. v. Secretary of Labor
McAdams
National Union Fire Insurance v. Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Co.
Satterfield
NLRB v. EAD Motors, et al.
Stone v. First Union Corporation
Ivy
Johnson v. SCHOOL UNION, 107
Kakides
American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees, Council 93 Local 1370 v. Olympus Specialty & Rehabilitation Hospital
Scadif, S.A. v. First Union National
Safe Environment of America, Inc. v. Employers Insurance of Wausau
Healy
Hazard
Shaw's Supermarkets, Inc. v. United Food & Commercial Workers Union, Local 791
Tennian
Liston
Freeman v. First Union National
Trustees of Boston University v. Beacon Laboratories, Inc.
Shaw's Supermarkets, Inc. v. United Food & Commercial Workers Union, Local 791
Barthel
De Hoyos v. Bristol Laboratories Corp.
High Country Investor, Inc. v. McAdams, Inc.
Haas Electric, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board
Spickler
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Employment & Training v. Boston Regional Medical Center, Inc. (In re Boston Regional Medical Center, Inc.)
QST
Toledo v. Puerto Rico Labor & Human Resources Dept.
Karen Lynn Bienkowski, David Eberle, Delia Ann Hoye and Edward McDonald v. Northeastern University
D'AMICO
Paquin
Showing 251–300 of 367 rulings · Page 6 of 8
Browse Other Circuits
Explore employment rulings from the other federal circuits.
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.