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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

Stanley, Jr. v. FCA US LLC

May 31, 2020N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Kis

May 29, 2020N.D. OhioSettlement

Taglione

May 28, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Bird

May 21, 2020W.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Brown

May 19, 2020E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Nealey

May 15, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Ware

May 12, 2020E.D. Ky.Settlement

Laborers' International Union of North America, Local 894 v. Wright Traffic Control Inc.

May 11, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Rodenbeck

May 8, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Boards of Trustees of the Ohio Laborers Benefits v. LA Williams Construction, LLC

Apr 23, 2020S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Louisville City School District Board of Education v. Local 4 Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE)/AFSME AFL-CIO

Apr 21, 2020N.D. OhioDismissed

Youthdevelopment Corp., USA v. North America's Building Trade Unions

Apr 20, 2020E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Perry

Apr 15, 2020S.D. OhioDismissed

Tiedel

Apr 15, 2020W.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

GCIU - Employer Retirement Fund v. The Novelty Advertising Company

Apr 1, 2020S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Michigan Laborers' Pension Fund v. Environmental Specialty Services, Inc.

Mar 30, 2020E.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

Southard

Mar 24, 2020W.D. Ky.Plaintiff Win

Jackson v. Genesee County Road Commission

Mar 23, 2020E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Watkins

Mar 18, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Sorah

Mar 16, 2020S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Waters

Mar 9, 2020S.D. OhioMixed Result

Federico

Mar 9, 2020N.D. OhioDismissed

Hatcher

Mar 6, 2020E.D. Mich.Dismissed

Reed

Mar 3, 2020N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. HP Pelzer Automotive Systems, Inc. (TV2)

Mar 2, 2020E.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Kulinski

Feb 27, 2020W.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Magneti Marelli of Tennessee, LLC

Feb 26, 2020M.D. Tenn.Plaintiff Win

Alexander

Feb 14, 2020M.D. Tenn.Mixed Result

Adamo Demolition Group v. International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150

Jan 30, 2020E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Bolyard

Jan 22, 2020N.D. OhioMixed Result

Brown

Jan 22, 2020N.D. OhioDismissed

Peck

Jan 21, 2020E.D. Ky.Settlement

Kammer

Jan 16, 2020N.D. OhioDismissed

Dickson

Jan 6, 2020E.D. Mich.Mixed Result

Steely

Dec 31, 2019N.D. OhioDefendant Win

Davis

Dec 27, 2019W.D. Tenn.Dismissed

Lou's Transport, Inc. v. NLRB

Dec 26, 20196th CircuitDefendant Win

Carter

Dec 23, 2019M.D. Tenn.Dismissed

Kammer

Dec 16, 2019N.D. OhioDismissed

Secretary, Department of Labor v. MICA Contracting, LLC

Dec 10, 2019S.D. OhioDefendant Win

Hogan

Dec 10, 2019S.D. OhioSettlement

De Angelis v. Nolan Enterprises, Inc.

Dec 10, 2019S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Crigler

Dec 10, 2019E.D. Mich.Defendant Win

Norman

Dec 9, 2019S.D. OhioDismissed

Adam

Dec 5, 2019N.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

McGruder

Dec 4, 2019M.D. Tenn.Defendant Win

Rita Morrissey v. Laurel Health Care Co.

Dec 3, 20196th CircuitRemanded

Teamsters Local Union No. 1199 v. Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc.

Dec 2, 2019S.D. OhioPlaintiff Win

Acosta

Dec 2, 2019W.D. Mich.Plaintiff Win

Flint

Nov 25, 2019N.D. OhioMixed Result

Showing 401–450 of 1,113 rulings · Page 9 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.