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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 1,113 published rulings we track here (1971–2026), 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 1,113 published rulings we track in the Sixth Circuit.

Defendant Win
547 (49%)
Plaintiff Win
246 (22%)
Mixed Result
112 (10%)
Dismissed
111 (10%)
Settlement
50 (4%)
Remanded
47 (4%)

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 1,109 rulings we could classify by stage were decided.

Appeal
421 (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
290 (26%)

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 290 summary-judgment rulings here, 209 ended the case in the employer’s favor and 81 let the worker’s claims continue.

Motion to dismiss
275 (25%)

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

Trial verdict
27 (2%)

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

Settlement / consent decree
52 (5%)

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
38 (3%)

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

Other rulings
6 (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

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Mid-South Automobile Club

Jun 16, 19886th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Harper Grace Hospitals

Apr 25, 1988E.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

Jesse A. Tolbert v. Jesse A. Vidaurri and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Mar 8, 19886th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Star Tool & Die Works, Inc.

Dec 17, 1987E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Lary E. Grimes v. Department of the Army, Merit Systems Protection Board Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Veterans Administration

Mar 20, 19866th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Mar 7, 1986M.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. CHRYSLER CORPORATION, Defendant-Appellant

Jul 18, 19846th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. St. Joseph Paper Co.

Feb 18, 1983W.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Union Camp Corp.

Jan 5, 1982W.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Bronson Methodist Hospital

Nov 7, 1979W.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Federal Reserve Bank

Oct 31, 1979W.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Picoma Industries, Inc.

Jul 26, 1978S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. United Association Of Journeymen And Apprentices Of The Plumbing And Pipefitting Industry Of The United States And Canada, Local Union No. 189

Feb 3, 19716th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Showing 1,101–1,113 of 1,113 rulings · Page 23 of 23

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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.