6th Cir.

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Every decision we've summarized from United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Apr 22 2026
25-3345 Unanimous

White's Landing Fisheries, Inc. v. Ohio Department of Natural Resources

The Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a commercial fisherman's claims against Ohio state officials, ruling that sovereign immunity bars suits against the state for takings and state law claims. The court reversed the dismissal with prejudice, instructing the district court to dismiss the claims against state defendants without prejudice due to lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

Civil Civil Rights - Voting
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Apr 17 2026
25-5410 Published

Reiter v. Meink

The Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging an Air Force promotion denial, holding that the Correction Board acted within its discretion under the Administrative Procedure Act. The court ruled that the Senior Rater's submitted record remained valid despite a procedural error in providing a copy to the officer, and that the Board's reliance on that record was supported by substantial evidence.

Civil Securities
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Apr 17 2026
25-1986 Published

Triple Properties Detroit, LLC v. First American Title Insurance Company

The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for a title insurer, holding that the insurer properly denied coverage because the insured failed to act within a contractual deadline, causing its property rights to revert. The court ruled that the insured's deliberate inaction and subsequent sale of the property with known title defects fell squarely within a policy exclusion.

Civil Civil Rights - Voting Summary Judgment
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Apr 17 2026
25-1190 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MATTHEW JOSEPH SHEEHAN

The Sixth Circuit affirmed the denial of Matthew Sheehan's motion to suppress evidence, ruling that police possessed reasonable suspicion to stop his vehicle based on corroborated informant tips and cell-site data. The court held that the totality of the circumstances supported the inference that Sheehan was engaged in an ongoing drug trafficking operation.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Supervised Release
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Apr 17 2026
25-5858 Published

United States v. St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Inc.

The Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a whistleblower's False Claims Act claims, ruling that his allegations were barred because they relied on a prior public lawsuit. The court further held that the relator failed to meet the heightened pleading standards required for fraud claims and that Kentucky law does not provide a private cause of action for such fraud.

Administrative / Agency Review Civil Fraud
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Apr 17 2026
25-3517 Published

STAR SERVICES CORPORATION v. OWCP, et al

The Sixth Circuit affirmed an award of Black Lung Benefits Act benefits, holding that the employer failed to rebut the statutory presumption that a miner's death was caused by pneumoconiosis. The court found the administrative law judge's reliance on medical evidence establishing total disability and legal pneumoconiosis sufficient to meet the claimant's burden.

Civil Social Security
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Apr 17 2026
25-1429 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DOUGLAS JAMES WILMURTH

The Sixth Circuit affirmed Douglas Wilmurth's federal conviction and sentence, rejecting his claim that the district court plainly erred in ordering his term consecutive to undischarged state imprisonment. The court further held that the written judgment's search condition for supervised release was substantially identical to the oral pronouncement, leaving no discrepancy to correct.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Sentencing Guidelines Supervised Release
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Apr 17 2026
25-5759 Published

K. Petroleum, Inc. v. Hubacek

The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a motion for a new trial, holding that the jury's verdict was not seriously erroneous given the substantial deference owed to jury findings. The court found sufficient evidence supported the breach of contract award and rejected the landowner's claim for easement maintenance costs.

Civil Summary Judgment Tax (Civil)
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Apr 16 2026
24-4068 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHRISTEN L. CLARK

The Sixth Circuit vacated the district court's denial of a defendant's motion to withdraw a guilty plea, ruling that the sudden resignation of counsel due to pending disciplinary action created a presumption of ineffective assistance requiring an evidentiary hearing. The court held that the district court abused its discretion by relying solely on the plea colloquy without resolving factual disputes regarding the voluntariness of the plea.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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