Frequently Asked Questions

We investigate violations of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, the state's civil rights law.

You will need to sign four documents to file a charge: (1) the charge, (2) the Minnesota Government Data Practices Notice, (3) the Notice of Authority, and (4) the Consent to Release Information.

Yes. This is called the statute of limitations. You have one (1) year from the date the discrimination occurred to file your charge with us. There are very few circumstances in which the law permits a party to file a charge of discrimination more than one year from the date the discrimination occurred. A charge is filed when we receive a signed and notarized charge.

Do not sign your charge if it contains mistakes or you do not agree with what is written. Contact the investigator who drafted your charge and discuss your proposed changes.

No. Filing a charge is not the same as filing a lawsuit.

No. You may hire an attorney to represent you at any time, but you are not required to have one. Whether or not you have an attorney will not impact the quality and timeliness of our investigation. If you have an attorney, we will contact you through your attorney.

To request an Attorney Drafted Charge Packet with complete instructions, copies of all forms, a fill-in charge form, discrimination questionnaire, and sample charges, send an email with your name and attorney license number to CaseProcessing.MDHR@state.mn.us. You must include your license number before we can send you a packet. 

If you have any questions, call us at 651-539-1100.

No. We are a neutral government agency throughout the investigative process. We do not represent you or advocate on your behalf.

No. By accepting a charge for filing, we have not determined whether the respondent engaged in discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. We will conduct an investigation into the facts you alleged, determine what happened, and determine whether the respondent violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

Every case is different. The timeline can depend on the facts of the case, how easy it is to gather information, what MDHR finds, and MDHR's resources. Contact us if you have a question about the current status of your case.

No. We will “cross-file” your charge with the EEOC when the facts appear to be a violation of both state and federal laws. We will conduct the investigation and notify the EEOC of our final determination. If you do not agree with our final determination, you may ask the EEOC to review our investigation.

The respondent has 30 days after receiving the charge to provide us with an answer.

Yes. We will send you a copy of the respondent’s answer after we receive and process it.

It is common for charging parties to disagree with what is written in the respondent’s answer. If you disagree with the respondent’s answer or wish to explain anything raised in the answer, we encourage you to file a written response. Or, you may wait to speak to your investigator during investigation.

If anyone takes action against you because you contacted a civil rights agency or made a complaint about illegal discrimination against them, you should contact us to determine if a claim of retaliation can be filed with our Department.

You may contact us and ask to withdraw your case. This will end our investigation and we will not make a final determination on your allegations. You may withdraw your case for any reason before we complete our investigation.

We will contact you by mail, phone, or email. It is your responsibility to provide us with your current contact information if you move or are traveling for an extended period.

We may dismiss your case if it is unable to reach you. Please let us know if you move or get a new phone number.