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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

Local Union No. 5 Trustees of the Bricklayers and Masons', Ohio Pension Fund v. Masonry Contracting Corporation

Jan 25, 2021N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Kavalec

Jan 25, 2021N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Gradall Industries, Inc. v. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District Lodge 54

Jan 13, 2021N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Scalia

Dec 23, 2020W.D. Mich.Mixed Result

James Perna v. Health One Credit Union

Dec 21, 20206th CircuitDefendant Win

McDaniel

Dec 4, 2020E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Marcum

Nov 24, 2020W.D. Ky.Mixed Result

Altenhofen

Nov 23, 2020W.D. Ky.Defendant Win

Gilbo

Nov 20, 2020N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Polch

Oct 30, 2020N.D. OhioSettlement

McDaniel

Oct 29, 2020E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Bolyard

Oct 28, 2020N.D. OhioSettlement

Pledger

Oct 28, 2020E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Sharqawi

Oct 23, 2020N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Lankford

Oct 22, 2020E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Hickle

Oct 20, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Luster

Oct 16, 2020N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Flynn

Sep 29, 2020W.D. Tenn.Dismissed

Walters

Sep 15, 2020W.D. Mich.Dismissed

Aday

Sep 14, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Swickheimer

Sep 11, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Pairan

Sep 8, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Trustees of Ohio Bricklayers Health and Welfare Fund v. Ohio Building Maintenance Leasing, Inc.

Sep 3, 2020S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Boards of Trustees of the Ohio Laborers Benefits v. USA Concrete Specialists, Inc.

Sep 2, 2020S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Nitch

Aug 31, 2020N.D. OhioDismissed

NLRB v. Roemer Indus., Inc.

Aug 27, 20206th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Publix Super Markets, Inc.

Aug 20, 2020M.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Freeman

Aug 20, 2020E.D. Mich.Mixed Result

Hammond

Aug 12, 2020M.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

Bailey

Aug 12, 2020S.D. OhioSettlement

Reed

Aug 6, 2020M.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

Peskin

Jul 29, 2020N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Gadagbui

Jul 27, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Joseph Caimona v. Ohio Civil Service Employees

Jul 27, 20206th CircuitDefendant Win

Littler

Jul 17, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Potts

Jul 15, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Jones

Jul 14, 2020S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Headspeth

Jul 8, 2020S.D. OhioMixed Result

Outlaw Laboratory, LP v. Van Born & Pelham Petro, Inc.

Jul 6, 2020E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Outlaw Laboratory, LP v. I 94 PETROLEUM INC.

Jul 6, 2020E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Outlaw Laboratory, LP v. OPDYKE GAS STATION INC

Jul 6, 2020E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Outlaw Laboratory, LP v. SYLVAN CONVENIENCE INC.

Jul 6, 2020E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Fitzgerald

Jul 2, 2020W.D. Tenn.Settlement

Blaylock

Jun 26, 2020E.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Bailey

Jun 26, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Rodenbeck

Jun 22, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Terrell

Jun 19, 2020N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Directors of the Ohio Conference of Plasterers and Cement Masons Combined Funds, Inc. v. ACL General Contracting Inc.

Jun 10, 2020S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Challenge Mfg. Co. v. NLRB

Jun 9, 20206th CircuitPlaintiff Win

Adams

Jun 5, 2020W.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

Showing 351–400 of 1,113 rulings · Page 8 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.