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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

Serge Adamov v. U.S. Bank National Association

Aug 13, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

Serge Adamov v. U.S. Bank National Association

Aug 13, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

International Union v. General Motors LLC

Jul 10, 20136th CircuitRemanded

GGNSC Springfield LLC v. National Labor Relations Board

Jul 2, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

Archie Donald v. Buckman Laboratories, Inc.

Jun 4, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

Indiana State District Council of Laborers & HOD Carriers Pension & Welfare Fund v. Omnicare, Inc.

May 23, 20136th CircuitRemanded

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Memphis Health Center, Inc.

May 17, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Care Centers Management Consulting, Inc.

Apr 29, 2013E.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

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

Apr 24, 2013E.D. Mich.Mixed Result

James Price v. Bd. of Trs. Of the Ind. Laborer's Pension Fund

Apr 22, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Finish Line, Inc.

Apr 19, 2013M.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

Kristin Kepreos v. Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

Apr 3, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

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

Mar 18, 2013E.D. Mich.Mixed Result

Nadeau

Mar 14, 2013N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.

Mar 12, 2013S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.

Feb 28, 2013S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Carol Liss v. Fidelity Employer Services Co.

Feb 26, 20136th CircuitRemanded

SEIU

Feb 21, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

James Price v. Bd. of Trs. of the Ind. Laborer's Pension Fund

Feb 15, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

Stephen Durham v. Dep't of Labor

Feb 13, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

Humility of Mary Health Partners v. Teamsters Local Union No. 377

Feb 12, 20136th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Teamsters Local Union No. 89 v. Kroger Co.

Feb 5, 2013W.D. Ky.Defendant Win

Beamon

Jan 22, 2013W.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Finish Line, Inc.

Jan 10, 2013M.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

Adams

Jan 9, 2013S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Cornelius v. Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission

Jan 7, 20136th CircuitDefendant Win

Delano

Dec 6, 2012W.D. Tenn.Dismissed

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen v. United Transportation Union

Dec 5, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

Local Union 2-2000 United Steel, Paper & Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Service Workers International Union v. Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc.

Nov 21, 2012W.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

DOL

Nov 14, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

John Adams v. Auto Rail Logistics, Inc.

Nov 8, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

Stewart

Sep 26, 2012W.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

A & E Coal Co. v. James Adams

Sep 11, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

A & E Coal Co. v. James Adams

Sep 11, 20126th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity, Commission v. U-Haul International, Inc.

Sep 7, 2012W.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Montague

Aug 23, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

Montague

Aug 23, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

Christoff v. Ohio Northern University Employee Benefit Plan

Aug 22, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

UAW

Aug 20, 20126th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Local 377 Chauffeurs, Teamsters, Warehousemen & Helpers Union v. Shelly & Sands, Inc.

Aug 20, 2012N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Calloway

Aug 17, 2012E.D. Mich.Mixed Result

Robin Huntley v. Ohio Assn. of Public School Employees

Aug 15, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

National Labor Relations Board v. ADT Security Services, Inc.

Aug 3, 20126th CircuitPlaintiff Win

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

Aug 1, 2012E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

DiPonio Construction Co. v. International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers, Local 9

Jul 24, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

Shappie v. Minster MacHine Co. Restated Non-Bargaining Employees' Retirement Plan

Jul 11, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

Stryker Corporation v. National Union Fire Insurance

Jul 5, 20126th CircuitMixed Result

Scheib v. Retirement Program Plan for Employees of Certain Employers

Jul 5, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

TVA

Jul 3, 20126th CircuitDefendant Win

United Steel, Paper & Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial & Service Workers International Union v. American Standard Corp.

Jun 21, 20126th CircuitPlaintiff 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.