Employment cases: facts, outcomes and limits
32 source-checked cases across seven stages, from job search to life after leaving.
Read the facts, outcome and preparation questions here. Settlements, judgments and regulatory undertakings are labelled separately. These selected historical cases do not predict your result.
32 cases
United States
Recruitment age discrimination: Enterprise settlement →
Consent-decree settlement · allegations not a merits judgment
The parties resolved the lawsuit through a $1.8 million settlement and a three-year consent decree with changes to hiring, training and reporting. This is a reported settlement, not a court finding that every allegation was proved.
Harassment and retaliation: Goodsell/Wilkins settlement →
Consent-decree settlement · alleged harassment and retaliation
A $730,000 settlement and four-year consent decree resolved the suit, with training, complaint procedures and reporting requirements. The release describes alleged conduct and agreed measures; it is not a merits verdict.
Paid job listings and earnings promises: Care.com refunds →
Settlement order and refund announcement
Following the settlement, FTC announced over $8.1 million in payments to 194,207 affected consumers. This was consumer redress, not an award of unpaid employee wages.
Training with job-placement promises: Career Step →
Stipulated order and refund report · case index marked pending
The announced relief combined $43.5 million in debt cancellation and cash. In March 2025, FTC reported over $15.5 million in refunds. The case index still says pending; the site does not label the entire proceeding closed.
Offer withdrawn after cancer disclosure: Atlantic settlement →
Court-approved consent decree · limited earlier court findings
The companies agreed to $112,000 and a two-year consent decree covering accommodation policies, training and reporting. An earlier ruling found the diagnosis was an ADA disability; the settlement was not a jury verdict on all allegations.
Changing contractor and re-screening workers: BMW settlement →
Consent-decree settlement
The federal court entered a $1.6 million settlement decree, with employment opportunities, training and monitoring. The employer had changed its guidelines.
Pre-employment medical and family-history questions: Dollar General →
27-month consent-decree settlement
Dollar General agreed to $1 million and a consent decree requiring policy review, examiner restrictions, accommodation information and training.
Staffing-agency referrals and discriminatory screening: BaronHR →
Consent-decree settlement · alleged hiring discrimination
A $2.2 million settlement and consent decree provided monetary relief and hiring-policy safeguards. The decree addressed implementation if the company resumed business after winding down.
Pregnancy dismissal and employment-record remedies: TEG Staffing →
Three-year consent-decree settlement
TEG agreed to $185,000, policy changes, record expungement, neutral references and consideration of reinstatement for affected former employees.
A discriminatory job reference: Thomasina B. administrative appeal →
Administrative appeal decision · reversed and remanded
EEOC reversed the agency’s no-discrimination finding, ordered another official to give future references, and required further investigation of damages. It did not set a final damages figure.
United Kingdom
Probation dismissal: why the Verton claim was struck out →
Tribunal decision · strike out; costs application refused
The tribunal struck out the claim as having no reasonable prospect of success: the probation notice provision was met and the disciplinary procedure was not contractual. It refused the employer’s application for costs. The summary below explains the decision.
Employer shortened resignation notice: Adamson’s final-pay judgment →
Tribunal judgment and written reasons
The tribunal ordered £883.20 gross notice damages and £233.26 gross outstanding holiday pay, after accounting for an earlier payment.
Canada
Bonus triggered after departure: Matthews v. Ocean Nutrition →
Supreme Court judgment · appeal allowed
The Supreme Court allowed his appeal: compensation for failure to give notice included the bonus because the plan did not unambiguously exclude it in these circumstances.
Costly overseas arbitration clause: Uber v. Heller →
Supreme Court judgment · arbitration-clause appeal
The Supreme Court majority held the arbitration agreement unconscionable and invalid, allowing the Ontario lawsuit to continue. It did not decide the underlying employee-status claim.
Australia
Productive unpaid internship: AIMG BQ court penalties →
Court penalties and completed wage repayment
The company admitted $18,767 underpayments to two workers and later repaid them. The court imposed $272,850 on the company and $8,160 on its director for the document-notice breach.
Flexible arrangements that left workers worse off: Goodwin →
Enforceable undertaking · completed back-pay reported
Goodwin signed an enforceable undertaking after completing over $1.39 million in back-pay, interest and superannuation for 335 workers.
Wages paid, then demanded back: Innovative Associates →
Court penalties · full back-pay reported
The court imposed $177,000 in combined company and director penalties. Total underpayments were $40,164.49 and had been repaid in full.
Wrong classifications, increments and overtime: Murdoch University →
Enforceable undertaking · repayments partly completed
The undertaking required over $4.9 million in back-pay, interest and superannuation for more than 2,100 workers. Over $4.7 million was already repaid; some amounts and calculations remained outstanding.
China · Mainland
Pregnancy, project removal and pay reduction: a published arbitration case →
Official typical arbitration case · reported outcome
Arbitration supported her claim for the wage difference at the previous standard. The collection explains why the employer’s treatment did not meet the conditions in this case.
Employer bankruptcy: wage recovery and re-employment support →
Official case report · bankruptcy and administrative coordination
A wage emergency fund advanced the wage arrears, and labour authorities arranged recruitment support. The report describes initial employment intentions, not a guaranteed job for every worker.
Non-compete after leaving: a security guard’s penalty dispute →
Official typical arbitration case · reported outcome
Arbitration rejected the employer’s penalty request. The typical case discusses who can be subject to a non-compete obligation.
Probation assessment without sufficient evidence: Wang’s arbitration →
Official arbitration case report
Arbitration supported compensation for unlawful termination because the employer’s evidence did not substantiate its stated ground. The report does not disclose an amount.
Changing dismissal reasons during litigation: guiding case 180 →
Guiding case · final appellate judgment
The appeal court upheld unlawful-dismissal compensation of RMB 18,989.46. Review centred on the notice’s stated grounds, and the company failed to prove the alleged absence.
Offer revoked after leaving the old job: Zhang’s reliance loss →
Official typical-case report · judgment outcome
The court found a breach of good-faith contracting and awarded RMB 20,000 for reliance loss, considering prior income, a reasonable job-search period and the employer’s fault.
Left before bonus payment after restructuring: guiding case 183 →
Guiding case · final appellate judgment
The appeal court awarded RMB 138,600 gross annual bonus, considering the reason for departure and the completed year’s work; the employer had not proved deficient performance.
Rejected because of home province: guiding case 185 →
Guiding case · final appellate judgment
The courts ordered an apology and RMB 10,000 covering emotional harm and reasonable rights-enforcement costs. The appeal upheld the judgment.
“Cooperation” agreement versus employment: guiding case 179 →
Guiding case · appellate judgment; retrial application rejected
Employment was recognised and wage and termination awards upheld. The appeal removed the double-wage award because the agreement itself served as a written employment contract.
Employer refused to approve earned project rewards: guiding case 182 →
Guiding case · appellate judgment reversing dismissal of claim
The appeal court awarded RMB 1,259,564.40. Unjustified refusal to perform approval obligations could not block rewards whose substantive conditions had been met.
Leaving without notice or handover caused loss: R&D worker case →
Official typical-case report · compensation judgment
The court assessed the circumstances and ordered RMB 50,000 compensation.
Pay during paternity-care leave: Jiangsu worker case →
Official typical-case report · wage claim supported
The court supported fifteen days’ care-leave wages under the Jiangsu rule used in that case.
Injury after recruitment by an individual subcontractor →
Official typical-case report · benefit-payment judgment
After official work-injury recognition, the court nevertheless required the contractor to pay the applicable uninsured injury benefits.
Renewal refused after two fixed-term contracts →
Official typical-case report · renewal judgment
The court found the statutory conditions met and ordered an indefinite-term contract.
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