Browse recent court opinions from the Kentucky Supreme Court. AI-powered plain English summaries, key holdings, and legal analysis of 30 cases. State Supreme Court.
Termination predated protected activity, barring retaliation claim
Kendra Russell v. International Automotive Components, decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on April 23, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Kentucky Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of a ...
Court Upholds Open Meetings Act, Orders Fish & Wildlife Commission to be Transparent
Kentucky Open Government Coalition, Inc. v. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission, decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on April 23, 2026, resulted in a plaintiff win outcome. The...
Kentucky forfeiture law allows warrantless vehicle seizure in drug cases
Paul Jones v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on April 23, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The core dispute centered on whether the Commonwealth of Kentucky coul...
Kentucky forfeiture law violates due process by denying notice and hearing
R.L.P. v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on April 23, 2026, resulted in a plaintiff win outcome. The core dispute centered on whether the Commonwealth of Kentucky could se...
Kentucky Supreme Court strikes down 'no-hire' clause in contractor agreement
Wsp USA Inc. v. Kristina Ives, Individually, decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on April 23, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Kentucky Supreme Court addressed whether a "no-hire" clause i...
Kentucky Supreme Court Upholds Parole Board's Denial of Parole Based on Crime Severity, Reversing Lower Court
This case involves Timothy Shane, who was convicted of murder and other crimes in 1996 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He became eligible for parole in 2016. The Kentucky Parole Board denied him p...
Kentucky Court of Appeals Reverses Summary Judgment, Allowing Age Discrimination Case Against Commonwealth to Proceed to Trial
This case involves Michael Gibbs, a former employee of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, who sued his employer alleging wrongful termination and age discrimination. Gibbs claimed that he was fired without...
Kentucky Court Rules in Favor of Paul Williams Against Union Carbide Corporation
This case involves a dispute between Union Carbide Corporation and Paul Williams, an individual, regarding a contract. The specifics of the contract and the nature of the dispute are not detailed in t...
Court rules Commonwealth of Kentucky did not wrongfully terminate employee in retaliation for reporting illegal activities.
This case involves a dispute over whether Russell T. Amboree, a former employee of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, was wrongfully terminated. Amboree claimed he was fired in retaliation for reporting il...
Council for Better Education is not a 'public agency' subject to Kentucky's Open Records Act, rules Supreme Court.
This case involves a dispute over whether the Council for Better Education (CBE), a non-profit organization that advocates for public education, is subject to Kentucky's Open Records Act. The Attorney...
Court rules against former employee in wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit
Edgar Hernandez sued the Commonwealth of Kentucky, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated from his job. He claimed that his termination was a result of retaliation for reporting unsafe working con...
Court finds former employee wrongfully terminated and defamed by employer
This case involves a dispute between Graybar Electric Company and its former employee, Jeremy Starr. Starr was fired after he was accused of violating company policy by using his work computer to acce...
Kentucky Court Rules in Favor of Defendant, Remands Case for Further Proceedings
This case involves a dispute between Mary Schulkers and Kathleen Lape. The specific details of their dispute are not fully elaborated in the provided text, but it appears to be a civil matter that has...
Court Rules on Wrongful Termination and Commission Dispute Between Employer and Former Employee
This case involves a dispute between Minova USA, Inc. (Minova) and its former employee, Tom Jolly. Jolly sued Minova, alleging that the company had wrongfully terminated his employment and failed to p...
Court rules for Commonwealth of Kentucky in national origin discrimination and retaliation lawsuit
This case involves Airan Hernandez Mendez, who sued the Commonwealth of Kentucky, alleging discrimination based on national origin and retaliation. Mendez claimed that after reporting discriminatory r...
Arbitration agreement valid, nursing home negligence case sent to arbitration
This case involves a lawsuit filed by the estate of Emma Hayes against Mayfield Health and Rehabilitation after Ms. Hayes passed away. The estate alleged that the nursing home's negligence led to Ms. ...
Court Rules on Insurance Coverage Dispute Between Estate and Westport Insurance Company
This case involves a dispute over insurance coverage. Jerel Colemon, representing the estate of William Virgil, sued Westport Insurance Company (formerly Coregis Insurance Company) because Westport de...
Court clarifies property division in divorce settlement dispute.
This case involves a dispute over a property settlement agreement made during a divorce. Marietta Gelanie Jones and William Anthony Kitchen had agreed to divide their assets, including a house. Howeve...
Kentucky Supreme Court Upholds Invalidation of Property Donation Due to Donor's Mental Incapacity
This case involves a dispute over a property donation. The Missionaries of Saint John the Baptist, Inc. (the "Missionaries") received a donation of land from Joel Frederic. However, Frederic later cla...
Kentucky Supreme Court Rules City Did Not Underpay Firefighters for Overtime
This case involves a dispute between firefighters in Paducah, Kentucky, and the city government regarding overtime pay. The firefighters, represented by Nathan Torian and the International Association...
Kentucky School Board Not Immune from Federal Lawsuit Over Education Reform Act
This case involves a dispute over whether the Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE) could be sued in federal court for alleged violations of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). The Attorney...
Court rules injured worker was an employee, not an independent contractor, for workers' compensation purposes.
This case involves a dispute between Encova Mutual Insurance Group (formerly Brickstreet Mutual Insurance Company) and Roger Hall. Hall was an employee of a company insured by Encova. He was injured o...
Court Rules Against Employee's Claims of Sex Discrimination and Retaliation by North American Stainless
This case involves a dispute over whether North American Stainless (NAS) unlawfully discriminated against Kyle Perkins based on his sex and retaliated against him for reporting the discrimination. Kyl...
Kentucky Court Rules Commonwealth Did Not Wrongfully Terminate Employee
This case involves Gary Sweet, who was employed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sweet alleged that he was wrongfully terminated from his position. He claimed that his termination was a breach of cont...
Court rules on employment-related claims brought by Joseph S. Masters against the Commonwealth of Kentucky
This case involves Joseph S. Masters, who was employed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Masters was terminated from his position and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth. The core of ...
Kentucky Supreme Court Invalidates Tax Deed Due to Insufficient Notice
Keith Smith v. Apex Fund Services as Custodian for Ceres Tax Receivables, LLC, decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on October 23, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Kentucky Supreme Court ad...
Workers' Comp Exclusion for 'Mining Operations' Ambiguous
Kentucky Employers' Mutual Insurance v. Clas Coal Co., Inc., decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on October 23, 2025, resulted in a plaintiff win outcome. This case concerns whether an employer's worker...
Confession Coerced, New Trial Ordered
Kevon Lawless v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on October 23, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The case concerns whether the defendant's confession was voluntar...
Kentucky Supreme Court strikes down overly broad 'no-hire' provision
Robert Braun v. Bearman Industries, LLC, decided by Kentucky Supreme Court on October 23, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Kentucky Supreme Court addressed whether a "no-hire" provision ...