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Employment Rulings in the Third Circuit

The Third Circuit covers the federal courts in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The rulings below come from the circuit's court of appeals and the federal trial courts within it.

Of the 2,094 published rulings we track here (19672026), 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 2,094 published rulings we track in the Third Circuit.

Defendant Win
901 (43%)
Plaintiff Win
333 (16%)
Mixed Result
329 (16%)
Dismissed
318 (15%)
Remanded
170 (8%)
Settlement
43 (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 2,060 rulings we could classify by stage were decided.

Appeal
880 (43%)

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
357 (17%)

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 357 summary-judgment rulings here, 219 ended the case in the employer’s favor and 137 let the worker’s claims continue; the rest resolved in other ways.

Motion to dismiss
669 (32%)

An early request — usually by the employer — to throw the case out before any evidence is gathered.

Trial verdict
53 (3%)

A judge or jury heard the evidence and reached a decision. Relatively few disputes get this far.

Settlement / consent decree
32 (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
40 (2%)

A decision entered because one side did not respond to the case at all.

Other rulings
29 (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 Third Circuit covers.

Recent Rulings in the Third Circuit

Mraz

Aug 31, 1994E.D. Pa.Mixed Result

Cohen

Aug 25, 1994E.D. Pa.Defendant Win

Ellen v. Spain v. Tony E. Gallegos, Chairman, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission United States of America

Jun 16, 19943rd CircuitMixed Result

Anderson

Apr 25, 1994E.D. Pa.Defendant Win

Raines

Apr 12, 1994E.D. Pa.Defendant Win

Hicks

Jan 31, 1994E.D. Pa.Mixed Result

Flickinger

Jan 25, 1994E.D. Pa.Defendant Win

Reich v. Gateway Press, Inc.

Jan 6, 19943rd CircuitMixed Result

In Re Unisys Corp. Retiree Med. Ben. Erisa Lit.

Oct 13, 1993E.D. Pa.Mixed Result

Bakery, Confectionery & Tobacco Workers' International Union, Local 6 v. National Labor Relations Board

Jul 13, 1992E.D. Pa.Defendant Win

Schake

Apr 2, 19923rd CircuitMixed Result

22 Employee Benefits Cas. 2945, Pens. Plan Guide (Cch) P 23952e

Jan 28, 19923rd CircuitDefendant Win

Sep 13, 19913rd CircuitMixed Result

Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Ada M. Fisher, and Third-Party v. Secretary of H.H.S., Third-Party

Dec 18, 19903rd CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Hugin Sweda, Inc.

Nov 14, 1990D.N.J.Remanded

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Oct 30, 19903rd CircuitRemanded

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Britrail Travel International Corporation

Oct 18, 19903rd CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Usx Corporation, United Steelworkers of America

Jul 10, 19903rd CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Brown Printing Company

May 25, 19903rd CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. James Julian, Inc.

May 7, 1990D. Del.Remanded

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Metal Service Company

Jan 3, 19903rd CircuitRemanded

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Bethlehem Steel Corp.

Jan 2, 1990E.D. Pa.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. United States Steel Corp.

Dec 22, 1989W.D. Pa.Plaintiff Win

4 indiv.empl.rts.cas. 667, 10 Employee Benefits Ca 2079 Joseph Pane v. Rca Corporation

Apr 3, 19893rd CircuitDefendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Metal Service Co.

Jan 6, 1989W.D. Pa.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Altmeyer's Home Stores, Inc.

Oct 24, 1988W.D. Pa.Plaintiff Win

Carney (Phyllis A.), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. All Saints' Hospital

Aug 8, 19883rd CircuitDefendant Win

8 Employee Benefits Ca 1429, 8 Employee Benefits Ca 2682 Vance L. Eckersley v. Wgal Tv, Inc. And Wgal Pension Plan

Nov 12, 19873rd CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Altmeyer's Home Stores, Inc.

Oct 22, 1987W.D. Pa.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania

Oct 19, 19873rd CircuitPlaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. United States Steel Corp.

Oct 1, 1987W.D. Pa.Plaintiff Win

EEOC v. Com. of Pa.

Oct 22, 1986M.D. Pa.Defendant Win

EEOC v. State of NJ

Apr 10, 1986D.N.J.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Westinghouse Electric Corp.

Mar 26, 1986E.D. Pa.Plaintiff Win

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION, Appellant, v. CORRY JAMESTOWN CORP.

Oct 17, 19833rd CircuitRemanded

Eeoc v. Com., Pa. Liquor Control Bd.

May 12, 1983E.D. Pa.Plaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. University of Pittsburgh

Mar 26, 1980W.D. Pa.Plaintiff Win

22 Fair empl.prac.cas. 1546, 22 Empl. Prac. Dec. P 30,704 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Washington Hospital

Feb 25, 19803rd CircuitMixed Result

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Greyhound Lines, Inc.

Oct 29, 1979E.D. Pa.Plaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. North Hills Passavant Hospital

Feb 26, 1979W.D. Pa.Defendant Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. E. I. duPont De Nemours & Co.

Jan 25, 1978D. Del.Plaintiff Win

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Jul 1, 1976W.D. Pa.Plaintiff Win

Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Tampa Division v. Nlrb

Jun 7, 19733rd CircuitDefendant Win

Intl. Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union No. 5 v. United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Aug 16, 1967W.D. Pa.Mixed Result

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.