Opinion ID: 520377
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Title VII Cross Appeal

Text: 31
32 The crucial question raised by Roberts' cross appeal is whether the district court was bound by the jury verdict on the section 1983 claim to rule in Roberts' favor on her Title VII claim. We do not decide whether a court must accept jury findings on a legal claim when it rules on an equitable claim because here there were no findings. This was a general verdict and it is impossible to say upon which theory, due process or equal protection, the jury imposed liability. See Hussein v. Oshkosh Motor Truck Co., 816 F.2d 348, 355 (7th Cir.1987) (in deciding whether to grant equitable relief under Title VII, the district court would have been prohibited from reconsidering any issues necessarily and actually decided by the jury); Blake v. Hall, 668 F.2d 52, 54 (1st Cir.1981) (trial judge not bound by the jury verdict in deciding whether to grant equitable relief because there was no way to determine what common issues were decided by the jury), cert. denied, 456 U.S. 983, 102 S.Ct. 2257, 72 L.Ed.2d 862 (1982).
33 In reviewing a court's ultimate determination on a Title VII claim, this court applies the clearly erroneous standard because the determination is essentially a factual one. Atonio v. Wards Cove Packing Co., 827 F.2d 439, 443 (9th Cir.1987) (panel opinion after remand from en banc decision), cert. granted, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 2896, 101 L.Ed.2d 930 (1988). 34 The district court determined that Roberts had made out a prima facie case of sex discrimination, but that the College's reasons for non-reassignment to the chairpersonship were legitimate business reasons which Roberts did not show to be pretextual. This finding is not clearly erroneous.