Opinion ID: 779030
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Discriminatory Job Assignments & Retaliation Claims

Text: 19 Before reaching the merits of the discriminatory job assignments and retaliation claims, we must first determine whether they were properly presented for review. In his opening brief in this court, Jones only asserted the district court erred in granting summary judgment to Union Pacific sua sponte and by finding no evidence of discriminatory discharge. And in his reply brief, Jones argued that Union Pacific's argument — that Jones failed to raise the discriminatory work assignments issue in his EEOC charge — was waived in this court. However, the district court specifically granted summary judgment on the discriminatory work assignment claim by concluding that Jones had failed to show pretext for Union Pacific's proffered reasons for work assignments. Finally, neither the plaintiff's nor the defendant's briefs raise the issue of retaliation. 20 By neglecting to raise the discriminatory job assignments and retaliation claims in his opening brief, and by failing to argue that the district court's actual holding regarding the discriminatory job assignments claim was in error, Jones waived review of these two issues. See Sere v. Bd. of Tr. of the Univ. of Ill., 852 F.2d 285, 287 (7th Cir.1988) (We consistently and evenhandedly have applied the waiver doctrine when appellants have failed to raise an issue in their opening brief.) (internal quotations and citations omitted); Gabriel v. United States, 30 F.3d 75, 78 (7th Cir.1994); cf. Kauthar SDN BHD v. Sternberg, 149 F.3d 659, 667-68 (7th Cir.1998) ([W]e have stated that failure to address one of the [district court's] holdings results in a waiver of any claim of error with respect to the court's decision on that issue.); Williams v. Leach, 938 F.2d 769, 772 (7th Cir.1991); Landstrom v. Ill. Dep't of Children & Family Servs., 892 F.2d 670, 678 (7th Cir. 1990).