Whichever method of contact you choose, we will determine whether or not your case falls within our jurisdiction, which is based on where and when the alleged act of discrimination took place.
If the act of discrimination or the most recent one took place within a one year period and within the City of St. Paul, we will set up an appointment with you to conduct an interview, at which point we will ask you to fill out a formal charge of discrimination.
This process is simple, but the interview can take some time, depending on the complexity of your case.
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If the alleged act of discrimination occurred within Saint Paul, you may file with the City of Saint Paul or the State of Minnesota, but not with both.
If the alleged discrimination occurred in an employment setting, you may also choose to file with the Equal Economic Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Please note that the EEOC has a worksharing agreement with Saint Paul, Minneapolis and the State of Minnesota. This means that if the employer meets certain criteria, your complaint will be cross-filed with the EEOC and the corresponding local office.
Our Human Rights Office cannot investigate allegations of discrimination that are more than one year old.
Throughout the process our Human Rights Office will remain a neutral fact finder.
You may obtain an attorney to represent you throughout the complaint process at your own expense.
The Police-Civilian Internal Affairs Review Commission can be reached at (651)266-5583.
Our Human Rights Office can assist you in filing a complaint, but we cannot investigate the complaint.
The act of discrimination must have taken place within the City of St. Paul. The charge must be filed within one year of the act of discrimination.
1) Position Statement: This is your response to the allegations listed in the charge. This information is shared with the charging party
2) Initial Information Request: Submitted under a separate cover letter. This information will only be viewed by the our investigators. However, information submitted under this portion of your response can be shared with the Charging Party if it is not submitted separately, or if you refer to or cite to such documents in your position statement.
If you do not have an attorney and have questions on how to respond, you may contact our office for assistance by telephone or e-mail.
You also have the option to hire an attorney to represent you in this process.
If you are an employer that has received a formal charge of discrimination you should contact your Human Resources staff or attorney, if you already have one, to assist you in responding to the charge. Please keep in mind that we are a neutral, fact-finding agency and do not represent either party in the investigation.
If there is enough evidence for a Probable Cause Determination, the parties may agree to negotiate a settlement in a conciliation meeting. If the settlement is unsuccessful, you can file a private suit. You can also file a private suit if there is a No Probable Cause determination.
The purpose of this process is to create an opportunity for those who truly believe they have been discriminated against to have a fair chance to present evidence. If the evidence shows that it is more likely than not that discrimination occurred, this process can lead to a fair outcome. We can never guarantee that we will decide in your favor, but the process will be fair.
You should not file a complaint to harass, intimidate, or seek revenge on another person or company.