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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

Branham

Jun 24, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

American Civil Liberties Union v. Rutherford County

Jun 21, 2002M.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

AMERICAN CIV. LIB. UNION OF TN v. Rutherford Cty.

Jun 21, 2002M.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

Sweeney

Jun 21, 20026th CircuitDismissed

Ashbrook

Jun 11, 2002N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Tennessee Laborers Health & Welfare Fund v. Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp.

Jun 10, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Columbia/HCA

Jun 10, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Gooden

Jun 4, 2002N.D. OhioRemanded

Pacific Employers Insurance v. Sav-A-Lot of Winchester

May 24, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Pacific Employers Insurance Company v. Sav-A-Lot Of Winchester

May 24, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Parker

May 23, 2002W.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

Glenn's Trucking Co. v. NLRB

May 23, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

North American Dismantling Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board

May 22, 20026th CircuitMixed Result

Jones

May 17, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Dixie Warehouse & Cartage Co. v. General Drivers, Warehousemen, & Helpers, Local Union No. 89

May 7, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Gilley

May 7, 20026th CircuitPlaintiff Win

American Civil Liberties Union v. Hamilton County

May 3, 2002E.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

Adams

Apr 29, 2002N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Kentland Elkhorn Coal Corporation v. Noah Hall Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States Department of Labor

Apr 24, 20026th CircuitMixed Result

Detroit Newspaper Agency and Detroit News v. National Labor Relations Board, Regional Director and National Labor Relations Board, General Counsel

Apr 15, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Det Newspaper Agcy v. NLRB Regional

Apr 15, 20026th CircuitRemanded

North American Dismantling Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board

Apr 12, 20026th CircuitMixed Result

Fenger

Apr 5, 2002E.D. Ky.Remanded

National Labor Relations Board v. Shamy Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.

Apr 4, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

W.G. Fairfield Company v. The Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission Secretary of Labor

Apr 3, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

EEOC v. Circuit City

Apr 2, 20026th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Moore

Mar 28, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Granger

Mar 28, 2002E.D. Mich.Mixed Result

Hess

Mar 25, 20026th CircuitDismissed

CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Union Tank Car Co.

Mar 21, 2002E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

National Labor Relations Board v. Jackson Hospital Corp.

Mar 21, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Rapier

Mar 18, 2002S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Detroit Typographical Union, Local 18 v. Detroit Newspaper Agency, Detroit Newspaper Agency v. Detroit Typographical Union, Local 18

Mar 14, 20026th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Speers

Mar 6, 2002N.D. OhioMixed Result

Wages

Mar 1, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Circuit City Stores, Inc., Circuit City Stores, Inc. v. Julie Shelton

Feb 28, 20026th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Schaefer

Feb 26, 2002W.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Brewer

Feb 26, 2002W.D. Ky.Defendant Win

Sultran.

Feb 20, 2002E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Taylor

Feb 19, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. ESAB Group, Inc.

Feb 19, 2002N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Ward

Feb 19, 20026th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Koch

Feb 12, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Doe

Feb 8, 2002E.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

The Painting Company, Petitioner/cross-Respondent v. National Labor Relations Board, Respondent/cross-Petitioner

Feb 6, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

The Painting Co v. NLRB

Feb 6, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Weeden

Feb 5, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Timken Co. v. National Labor Relations Board

Feb 4, 20026th CircuitDefendant Win

Iulianelli

Jan 25, 2002E.D. Mich.Remanded

Roberts

Jan 24, 20026th 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.