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Employment Rulings in the Sixth Circuit

The Sixth Circuit covers the federal courts in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. The rulings below come from the circuit's court of appeals and the federal trial courts within it.

Of the 2,531 published rulings we track here (19492026), 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 2,531 published rulings we track in the Sixth Circuit.

Defendant Win
1,124 (44%)
Plaintiff Win
460 (18%)
Mixed Result
385 (15%)
Dismissed
348 (14%)
Remanded
164 (6%)
Settlement
50 (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 2,489 rulings we could classify by stage were decided.

Appeal
1,205 (48%)

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
484 (19%)

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 484 summary-judgment rulings here, 285 ended the case in the employer’s favor and 199 let the worker’s claims continue.

Motion to dismiss
658 (26%)

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

Trial verdict
40 (2%)

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

Settlement / consent decree
46 (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
26 (1%)

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

Other rulings
30 (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 Sixth Circuit covers.

Recent Rulings in the Sixth Circuit

Almond

Mar 10, 2022E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Trustees of the Iron Workers Local Union 17 Pension Fund v. 21st Century Concrete Construction Inc.

Mar 9, 2022N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Grose

Mar 8, 2022W.D. Tenn.Remanded

Brichler

Mar 8, 2022S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Brichler

Mar 8, 2022S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Bell v. Industrial Commission of Ohio

Feb 28, 2022S.D. OhioDefendant Win

McCrea

Feb 28, 2022W.D. Mich.Remanded

Knox Trailers, Inc v. Clark

Feb 24, 2022E.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Sherwood Food Distributors, LLC

Feb 24, 2022N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Singh

Feb 17, 2022M.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Secretary of U.S. Department of Labor v. American Made Bags, LLC

Feb 15, 2022N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Hodges

Feb 15, 2022W.D. Mich.Mixed Result

Secretary of Labor v. Macy's, Inc.

Feb 10, 2022S.D. OhioDefendant Win

McGonegle

Feb 9, 2022S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Stang

Feb 7, 2022S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Walters

Feb 7, 2022E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Boyd

Feb 3, 2022E.D. Tenn.Settlement

Beckerich

Feb 2, 2022E.D. Ky.Plaintiff Win

Wright

Feb 1, 2022S.D. OhioDismissed

Wehrly

Feb 1, 2022E.D. Ky.Defendant Win

Local 894 Laborers' International Union of North America v. Kenny/Obayashi V

Jan 31, 2022N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Litton

Jan 28, 2022M.D. Tenn.Remanded

Johnson v. Dodds Bodyworks, Inc.

Jan 27, 2022S.D. OhioRemanded

Perkins

Jan 26, 2022E.D. Mich.Remanded

Radair, LLC v. Alaska Airlines, Inc.

Jan 20, 2022W.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Hearod

Jan 20, 2022S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Blount

Jan 14, 2022W.D. Ky.Defendant Win

VanDyke

Jan 11, 2022E.D. Mich.Mixed Result

Woodard

Jan 11, 2022E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Boards of Trustees of the Ohio Laborers Benefits v. Karnak Concrete LLC

Jan 5, 2022S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Mester

Jan 4, 2022S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Adams

Jan 3, 2022S.D. OhioMixed Result

Walters

Dec 30, 2021E.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

Hamilton

Dec 28, 2021E.D. Mich.Remanded

Scott

Dec 28, 2021E.D. Mich.Mixed Result

Rosado-Cruz

Dec 17, 2021E.D. Ky.Remanded

Hooper

Dec 13, 2021S.D. OhioRemanded

Johnson v. Volunteer Home Care, Inc.

Dec 10, 2021W.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Eberle

Dec 10, 2021S.D. OhioRemanded

Shahbabian, M.D. v. Trihealth, Inc.

Dec 8, 2021S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Knox Trailers, Inc v. Clark

Dec 3, 2021E.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Greenhouse Holdings, LLC v. International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 91

Nov 19, 2021W.D. Ky.Mixed Result

Northington

Nov 12, 2021W.D. Ky.Remanded

Pipe Fitters Local Union No. 120 v. Qwest Mechanical Contractors

Nov 10, 2021N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Jamoua

Nov 8, 2021E.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

PUI Audio, Inc. v. Van Den Broek

Nov 5, 2021S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Reams

Nov 5, 2021N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Doe MC-1 v. The University of Michigan

Nov 2, 2021E.D. Mich.Remanded

Kleinhans

Nov 1, 2021S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Cassaday

Oct 28, 2021W.D. Mich.Dismissed

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.