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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

Tri-State Wholesale Building Supplies, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board

Aug 11, 20166th CircuitDefendant Win

Caterpillar Logistics v. NLRB

Aug 9, 20166th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Caterpillar Logistics, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board

Jul 19, 20166th CircuitRemanded

Sheet Metal Employers Industry Promotion Fund v. Absolut Balancing Co.

Jul 18, 20166th CircuitRemanded

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Dolgencorp, LLC

Jul 7, 2016E.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

4218868 Canada, Inc. v. Barry Kwasny

Jun 29, 20166th CircuitRemanded

Flatford v. International Union United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America, Local 663

Jun 20, 20166th CircuitDefendant Win

Delphine Henry v. Abbott Laboratories

Jun 10, 20166th CircuitMixed Result

Doe

May 16, 2016E.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

Todd

May 13, 2016W.D. Ky.Defendant Win

Miller v. Abbott Laboratories

May 12, 20166th CircuitDefendant Win

Tsegaye

Apr 27, 20166th CircuitDefendant Win

Pearson

Apr 12, 2016S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Lou's Transport, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board

Apr 6, 20166th CircuitMixed Result

Kentucky Employees Retirement System v. Seven Counties Services, Inc.

Mar 31, 2016W.D. Ky.Defendant Win

Miller v. Trans Union, LLC

Mar 16, 20166th CircuitDefendant Win

Farm Labor Organizing Committee v. United States Border Patrol

Feb 24, 2016N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Local 18 International Union of Operating Engineers v. Ohio Contractors Ass'n

Feb 19, 20166th CircuitRemanded

United Food & Commercial Workers Union-Employer Pension Fund v. Rubber Associates, Inc.

Feb 4, 20166th CircuitDefendant Win

K.S. v. Detroit Public Schools

Dec 21, 2015E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Young

Dec 1, 2015E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Safdi v. Covered Employer's Long Term Disability Plan Under the Union Central Employee Security Benefit Trust

Nov 24, 20156th CircuitDefendant Win

Office & Professional Employees International Union, Local 494 v. International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers

Nov 6, 2015E.D. Mich.Settlement

Rex Coal Co. v. Secretary of Labor, Mine Safety & Health Administration

Oct 29, 20156th CircuitDefendant Win

Richard Slusher v. Shelbyville Hospital Corp.

Oct 26, 20156th CircuitDefendant Win

Pearson

Oct 15, 20156th CircuitRemanded

Kosa

Oct 2, 2015E.D. Mich.Mixed Result

Cook

Sep 30, 2015M.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Tepro, Inc.

Sep 28, 2015E.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

International Union v. Kelsey-Hayes Co.

Sep 17, 2015E.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

Deschamps

Sep 9, 2015M.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

Laber

Aug 27, 2015N.D. OhioRemanded

Calloway v. Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd.

Aug 26, 20156th CircuitPlaintiff Win

James Calloway v. Caraco Pharm. Lab., Ltd.

Aug 26, 20156th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Memphis, Light, Gas & Water Division

Jul 31, 2015W.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

United Steel, Paper & Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing Energy, Allied Industrial & Service Workers International Union v. Kelsey-Hayes Co.

Jul 28, 20156th CircuitMixed Result

Town v. Genesee County Employees' Retirement System

Jul 6, 20156th CircuitDefendant Win

Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort v. National Labor Relations Board

Jul 1, 20156th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. OhioHealth Corp.

Jun 29, 2015S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. v. Oakwood Hospital Employees Local 2568

Jun 15, 20156th CircuitPlaintiff Win

National Labor Relations Board v. Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Tribal Government

Jun 9, 20156th CircuitRemanded

Russell v. Catholic Healthcare Partners Employee Long Term Disability Plan

Jun 8, 20156th CircuitDefendant Win

David Williams v. Union Underwear Company, Inc.

Jun 5, 20156th CircuitDefendant Win

UAW

May 14, 20156th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc.

Apr 23, 2015E.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. New Breed Logistics

Apr 22, 20156th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Ford Motor Co.

Apr 10, 20156th CircuitDefendant Win

William Evans v. Laborers' Dist. Council & Contractors' Pension

Feb 3, 20156th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Skanska USA Building, Inc.

Jan 23, 2015W.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

Joshua Hugo v. Millennium Laboratories, Inc

Oct 31, 20146th CircuitDefendant Win

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.