Washington State Human Rights Commission

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COMMISSION INVESTIGATION PROCESS

When a complaint is filed, the Commission acts as a neutral fact-finder. The Commission is not an advocate for either side. Our role under the law is to gather facts about the situation and then determine whether there is cause to believe that discrimination occurred. The Commission will send a written notice to the person(s) alleged to have committed the act of discrimination. The Commission will ask for a written response to the charge. A Commission Investigator will investigate the complaint by gathering more evidence, interviewing witnesses, or conducting site visits.

It can take some time to complete a thorough investigation. Whenever appropriate, the Commission will meet with both sides to explore resolving the issues. Settlement is often a quicker and more satisfactory way to resolve the complaint.

Upon completion of the investigation, the Commission will issue a finding. If the evidence does not support the charge of discrimination, the Commission will issue a finding of "no reasonable cause." If the Commission finds that there is reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred, we will seek conciliation of the complaint. Appropriate remedies in the conciliation process may include back pay, reinstatement, rent refunds, or training to eliminate the unfair practice. If conciliation fails, the complaint may be turned over to the Attorney General's office for hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. The Commissioners may grant reconsideration if the party can show that there was a misapplication of the law, or that relevant information provided during the investigation was not considered in the finding.

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