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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 2,293 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 2,293 published rulings we track in the Seventh Circuit.

Defendant Win
994 (43%)
Plaintiff Win
418 (18%)
Mixed Result
401 (17%)
Dismissed
288 (13%)
Remanded
154 (7%)
Settlement
38 (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 2,252 rulings we could classify by stage were decided.

Appeal
987 (44%)

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
465 (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 465 summary-judgment rulings here, 273 ended the case in the employer’s favor and 191 let the worker’s claims continue; the rest resolved in other ways.

Motion to dismiss
632 (28%)

An early request — usually by the employer — to throw the case out before any evidence is gathered.

Trial verdict
60 (3%)

A judge or jury heard the evidence and reached a decision. Relatively few disputes get this far.

Settlement / consent decree
35 (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
34 (2%)

A decision entered because one side did not respond to the case at all.

Other rulings
39 (2%)

Procedural decisions and orders that do not fit the main stages above.

States in This Circuit

Browse rulings from courts in each state the Seventh Circuit covers.

Recent Rulings in the Seventh Circuit

McCole

Apr 7, 2025E.D. Wis.Mixed Result

Shepherd

Apr 2, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Randolph v. Dillard's, Inc.

Apr 1, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Wood

Apr 1, 2025E.D. Wis.Dismissed

Williams v. Milwaukee Public Schools

Mar 31, 2025E.D. Wis.Dismissed

Barnett

Mar 31, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Washington v. Cook County

Mar 31, 2025N.D. Ill.Mixed Result

Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. v. Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Plan

Mar 31, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Conway

Mar 31, 2025N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

MCKINNEY v. NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

Mar 31, 2025S.D. Ind.Dismissed

Buccini

Mar 28, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Davis

Mar 28, 2025S.D. Ill.Dismissed

Stoicescu

Mar 26, 2025N.D. Ill.Mixed Result

Porter

Mar 26, 2025INNDRemanded

Plumbers Pension Fund, Local 130, U.A. v. Caldwell Plumbing, Inc.

Mar 20, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Grant, Caleb v. Krolikowski, Daniel

Mar 17, 2025W.D. Wis.Dismissed

Parrent

Mar 14, 2025S.D. Ill.Settlement

Thomas

Mar 13, 2025N.D. Ill.Mixed Result

Antrim

Mar 11, 2025E.D. Wis.Defendant Win

Green

Mar 11, 2025C.D. Ill.Plaintiff Win

Ballard

Mar 11, 2025C.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Revels

Mar 9, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Anthony

Mar 7, 2025N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Plumbers & Gasfitters Union Local No 75 Health Fund v. Marathon Plumbing Company

Mar 7, 2025E.D. Wis.Defendant Win

Nessi

Feb 26, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Bohnert

Feb 26, 2025E.D. Wis.Defendant Win

Meade

Feb 20, 2025N.D. Ill.Mixed Result

C. B. v. Bluecross Blueshield of Illinois

Feb 18, 2025N.D. Ill.Settlement

Employers and Laborers Locals 100 and 397 Pension Fund v. ZOIE, LLC d/b/a and/or f/d/b/a Dana Howard Construction

Feb 18, 2025S.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Rose

Feb 14, 2025N.D. Ill.Mixed Result

Hopkins

Feb 12, 2025E.D. Wis.Dismissed

Buckley

Feb 11, 2025N.D. Ill.Remanded

MCNUTT

Feb 11, 2025S.D. Ind.Settlement

Corona v. North Central Narcotics Task Force

Feb 10, 2025N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Rodriguez

Feb 6, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Bowes-Northern

Feb 6, 2025INNDMixed Result

Young

Feb 3, 2025C.D. Ill.Settlement

Schmidt, Ronald v. Hands On CDL Driving School, LLC

Feb 3, 2025W.D. Wis.Dismissed

A.

Jan 31, 2025N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Richards

Jan 30, 2025E.D. Wis.Remanded

BRUNSMAN

Jan 29, 2025S.D. Ind.Dismissed

Hammonds

Jan 28, 2025INNDDefendant Win

Patt

Jan 27, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Polk

Jan 24, 2025N.D. Ill.Dismissed

CHAPO

Jan 24, 2025S.D. Ind.Plaintiff Win

Brody, David v. Costco Wholesale Corporation

Jan 23, 2025W.D. Wis.Plaintiff Win

Plumbers and Fitters Local Union 101 v. Hubert Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc.

Jan 23, 2025S.D. Ill.Plaintiff Win

Lymon

Jan 22, 2025INNDDefendant Win

McKay, Michael v. Wisconsin Department of Revenue

Jan 22, 2025W.D. Wis.Dismissed

United Association of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of United States and Canada, Local No. 360 v. Jeri Lynn Crafton

Jan 21, 2025S.D. Ill.Plaintiff Win

Browse Other 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.