Matthew L. Stewart v. Nissan North America, Inc. — 7th Cir. (Sep 29, 2026)

No. 25-2790 Argued September 29, 2026 Published October 2, 2026

The Seventh Circuit hears Matthew Stewart's age-discrimination appeal against Nissan. During a reorganization, Nissan eliminated his job. He applied for other positions but was not hired, and his employment ended. The district court granted Nissan summary judgment, ending the lawsuit without a trial. This appeal concerns one rejected application: a senior fixed operations manager job, called P5 in the record. Lisa Clay will argue for Stewart that Nissan's broader treatment of older employees casts doubt on that hiring decision. Nissan's lawyer will contend that it chose another applicant for his more recent, relevant after-sales experience. The judges will ask whether that explanation is pretext—a cover for age discrimination—or an honestly held hiring judgment.

Matthew L. Stewart v. Nissan North America, Inc. (No. 25-2790) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, argued September 29, 2026.

Sources

Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/sound/external/dab.25-2790.25-2790_09_29_2026.mp3

Argument listing and date — Seventh Circuit:https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/oralArguments/oar.jsp?amonth=09%2F2026&aMonth=List+case%28s%29

District court opinion, Sept. 19, 2025, docket 204 — N.D. Illinois (court text mirrored by Midpage):https://app.midpage.ai/document/stewart-v-nissan-north-america-11141328

Appellate docket and counsel — Seventh Circuit (docket mirrored by Justia):https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca7/25-2790

Cunningham v. Austin — Seventh Circuit (court opinion mirrored by Justia):https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca7/24-1133/24-1133-2025-01-03.html

0:00Introduction