Employment Rulings in the Seventh Circuit
The Seventh Circuit covers the federal courts in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The rulings below come from the circuit's court of appeals and the federal trial courts within it.
Of the 1,243 published rulings we track here (1975–2026), 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 1,243 published rulings we track in the Seventh 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 1,238 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 307 summary-judgment rulings here, 203 ended the case in the employer’s favor and 104 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
- Union Pacific Railroad Company45
- Abbott Laboratories28
- Board of Education of the City of Chicago12
- Union Pacific Railroad11
- United Airlines, Inc.10
- Chicago Transit Authority9
States in This Circuit
Browse rulings from courts in each state the Seventh Circuit covers.
Recent Rulings in the Seventh Circuit
Gillespie
Charles O. Sims and Sandra Adams v. Gc Services L.P., Dls Enterprises, Incorporated, and Gc Financial Corporation
Employers Insurance Company of Wausau v. Century Indemnity Company
Employers Insurance v. Century Indemnity
Craig J. Duchossois Revocable Trust UAD 9/11/1989 v. CDx Laboratories, Inc.
Martinez, Isaac v. Abbott Laboratories
Cuna Mutual Insurance Society v. Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local 39
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Sidley Austin LLP
Sidley Austin LLP v. EEOC
Safiyyah Maalik v. International Union of Elevator Constructors, Local 2
Maalik, Safiyyah v. Int'l Union Elev 2
IFC Credit Corp. v. United Business & Industrial Federal Credit Union
Local 7-0018, Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers (Pace) International Union v. Wisconsin Gas Co.
Brettler
Nick Slusher v. National Labor Relations Board
United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP.
Anderson
Local 15, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Afl-Cio v. National Labor Relations Board, and Midwest Generation, Eme, Llc, Intervenor
Int'l Brohd Elec 15 v. NLRB
State of Wisconsin v. Abbott Laboratories
James Hess & John Hess v. Reg-Ellen MacHine Tool Corp. And Reg Ellen MacHine Tool Corp. Employee Stock Ownership Plan
R.J. Corman Derailment Services, LLC v. International Union of Operating Engineers, Local Union 150, Afl-Cio
R.J. Corman v. Int'l Union 150
Benson
Brotherhood of Maintenance Way Employees v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co.
Dennis Walker v. Abbott Laboratories
Walker, Dennis v. Abbott Laboratories
Mitchell v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.
East St. Louis Laborers' Local 100 v. Bellon Wrecking & Salvage Company
Kuehling, Roland v. Trans Union, LLC
Northern Electric, Inc. v. Local Union 158, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Abdelqadar, Mlaith v. Gonzales, Albert R.
Theron M. McClain v. Retail Food Employers Joint Pension Plan and Board of Trustees of Retail Food Employers Joint Pension Plan
McClain, Theron M. v. Retail Food Employer
Davis v. International Union of Operating Engineers Local Union No. 965
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Caterpillar, Inc., Defendant-Petitioner
Caterpillar, Inc v. EEOC
George Mitchell v. Union Pacific Railroad Company and National Railroad Adjustment Board
National Labor Relations Board v. Erie Brush and Manufacturing Corporation
NLRB v. Erie Brush & Mfg Cor
Dr. Linda A. Rodrigue v. Olin Employees Credit Union, Cross-Appellee
Lakeland Enterprises of Rhinelander, Incorporated v. Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of Labor
Jackson v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local Union 705
Burke
In Re: Allstate Insurance Company Agent Transition Severance Plan
Eisencorp, Inc. v. Rocky Mountain Radar, Inc. And Michael Churchman
J.W. Peters, Inc. v. Bridge, Structural And Reinforcing Iron Workers, Local Union 1, Afl-Cio
Eisencorp Inc v. Rocky Mountain Radar
National Labor Relations Board v. Curwood Inc.
National Labor Relations Board v. Curwood Incorporated
Showing 951–1,000 of 1,243 rulings · Page 20 of 25
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.