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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 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.

Defendant Win
620 (50%)
Plaintiff Win
271 (22%)
Mixed Result
152 (12%)
Dismissed
119 (10%)
Remanded
64 (5%)
Settlement
17 (1%)

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.

Appeal
471 (38%)

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
307 (25%)

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.

Motion to dismiss
347 (28%)

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

Trial verdict
43 (3%)

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

Settlement / consent decree
19 (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
39 (3%)

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

Other rulings
12 (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 Seventh Circuit covers.

Recent Rulings in the Seventh Circuit

Lucas

Jul 23, 2020N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Adam Delgado v. U.S. Department of Justice

Jul 16, 20207th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Adam Delgado v. U.S. Department of Justice

Jul 16, 20207th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Brown

Jul 9, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Johnson v. Chicago Transit Authority

Jun 23, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Ruffin

Jun 19, 2020INNDMixed Result

Bradley LeDure v. Union Pacific Railroad Compan

Jun 17, 20207th CircuitDefendant Win

Bradley LeDure v. Union Pacific Railroad Compan

Jun 17, 20207th CircuitDefendant Win

Bricklayers Local 8 of Illinois and Employers Pension Plan v. Little Grassy Construction, Inc.

Jun 11, 2020S.D. Ill.Plaintiff Win

Roehrich y Gorostieta v. Walmart, Inc.

Jun 11, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Rashid

Jun 8, 2020C.D. Ill.Defendant Win

WESTRAY

Jun 5, 2020S.D. Ind.Dismissed

Hillard

Jun 3, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

BLET GCA UP Central Region v. Union Pacific Railroad Corp.

Jun 2, 2020N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Union Pacific Railroad Company v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen/Union Pacific Central Region General Committee of Adjustment

Jun 2, 2020N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Day

Jun 1, 2020N.D. Ill.Mixed Result

Cheli

May 29, 2020C.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Cortez

May 20, 2020N.D. Ill.Mixed Result

Joseph Denan v. TransUnion LLC

May 11, 20207th CircuitDefendant Win

Joseph Denan v. TransUnion LLC

May 11, 20207th CircuitDefendant Win

Joseph Denan v. TransUnion LLC

May 11, 20207th CircuitDefendant Win

HUTNICK

May 5, 2020S.D. Ind.Plaintiff Win

Lempfert

May 5, 2020INNDMixed Result

Castaneda

May 4, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Englesby, Bruce v. Royal Credit Union

May 1, 2020W.D. Wis.Dismissed

Hardiman

Apr 22, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Larkin

Apr 17, 2020N.D. Ill.Mixed Result

Domann, Matthew v. Summit Credit Union

Apr 13, 2020W.D. Wis.Settlement

Citgo Petroleum Corporation v. United Steelworkers Union, Local No. 7-517

Apr 10, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

FLOWERS

Apr 8, 2020S.D. Ind.Plaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Mar 31, 2020W.D. Wis.Plaintiff Win

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION v. THE VILLAGE AT HAMILTON POINTE LLC

Mar 31, 2020S.D. Ind.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. RockAuto, LLC

Mar 30, 2020W.D. Wis.Plaintiff Win

Sapia

Mar 30, 2020N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Laborers' Pension Fund v. Murphy Paving and Sealcoating Inc.

Mar 30, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Laborers' Pension Fund v. Murphy Paving and Sealcoating Inc.

Mar 27, 2020N.D. Ill.Plaintiff Win

AKERS

Mar 25, 2020S.D. Ind.Defendant Win

Gamble

Mar 25, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Fox

Mar 23, 2020N.D. Ill.Dismissed

Central Laborers' Pension Fund v. E. A. Masonry, Inc.

Mar 18, 2020S.D. Ill.Plaintiff Win

Christensen

Mar 17, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Employers & Laborers Locals 100 & 397 Pension, Health & Welfare and Annuity Funds v. A&A Hauling, Inc.

Mar 16, 2020S.D. Ill.Plaintiff Win

Greater St. Louis Construction Laborers Welfare Fund v. Zoie, LLC

Mar 16, 2020S.D. Ill.Dismissed

Myvett

Mar 16, 2020N.D. Ill.Mixed Result

Owens

Mar 2, 2020S.D. Ill.Defendant Win

Harmon v. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 10 AFL-CIO Union Lodge No 66

Feb 27, 2020E.D. Wis.Defendant Win

Estrada

Feb 27, 2020N.D. Ill.Defendant Win

BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE INDIANA LABORERS WELFARE FUND v. VAN DALSEN

Feb 18, 2020S.D. Ind.Plaintiff Win

TRUSTEES OF THE INDIANA ELECTRICAL WORKERS PENSION TRUST FUND IBEW v. DARNELL, INC.

Feb 13, 2020S.D. Ind.Dismissed

Gunn

Feb 13, 2020N.D. Ill.Plaintiff Win

Showing 401–450 of 1,243 rulings · Page 9 of 25

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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.