Case Explained: Anthony Knight v. Cambria Company, LLC

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Filed: 2026-07-28 The eighth-circuit affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Cambria Company, LLC, dismissing Anthony Knight’s claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The court applied the *McDonnell Douglas* burden-shifting framework to evaluate Knight’s discrimination claim and a “same-decision” defense for his entitlement claim. Under this standard, while Knight established a prima facie case, Cambria articulated legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons for terminating Knight—specifically, a reduction in force due to production slowdowns and the selection of Knight over a more senior employee. The court held that Knight failed to raise a genuine dispute of material fact that these reasons were pretextual or connected to his FMLA leave, noting that the six-week gap between his leave request and termination, combined with evidence of ongoing business justifications, undermined any inference of discriminatory animus. Consequently, Knight’s appeal was denied and the district court’s judgment was affirmed. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.