U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Mark Pannek v. U.S. Bank Nat'l Ass'n
August 7, 2026
Summary
The Sixth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part the district court's grant of summary judgment to U.S. Bank. The court reversed summary judgment on Pannek's and Strotman's Title VII retaliation claims, holding that a genuine dispute of material fact exists as to whether U.S. Bank fired them in retaliation for Pannek's ethics complaint. The court affirmed summary judgment on the Title VII hostile-work-environment claims because U.S. Bank established the Faragher/Ellerth affirmative defense, and on Pannek's ADEA claim because he was not replaced within the meaning of the statute. Judge Batchelder concurred in part and dissented in part, disagreeing with the retaliation analysis.