Case Explained: UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT DARIN NEWSON v. NYX, LLC ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Filed: 2026-07-23 The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of defendant NYX, LLC, dismissing Darin Newson’s claims of racial discrimination and retaliation under Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, and Michigan’s Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA). The court applied the *McDonnell Douglas* burden-shifting framework to review the plaintiff’s circumstantial evidence claims de novo. Regarding the retaliation claim, the court held that Newson failed to establish the requisite causal connection between his protected activity (filing administrative complaints) and the alleged adverse employment action. The record indicated that the alleged denial of overtime began in February 2019, prior to Newson’s complaints filed in June 2019 and April 2022, and Newson provided no evidence that the alleged denial escalated or worsened following his protected activity. Additionally, the court deemed any potential error by the district court in excluding Newson’s EEOC right-to-sue letter harmless because the plaintiff failed to establish a prima facie case regardless of the document’s admissibility. Regarding the discrimination claim, the court ruled that Newson failed to identify a similarly situated comparator who received more favorable treatment. The court found that potential comparators Abdul and Ahmed were not similarly situated in all relevant respects due to differences in shift assignments, job responsibilities, supervisory status, and disciplinary records. Furthermore, Newson’s testimony regarding differential treatment was deemed mere speculation and conjecture without specific factual evidence to support the allegation that his coworkers received more overtime opportunities. As a practical consequence, the judgment for NYX stands, and Newson’s lawsuit is dismissed with no relief granted. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.