Civil Rights Department (CRD)

What the CRD is

The Civil Rights Department is California's civil rights agency. It was the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) until July 2022, when its name changed, and FEHA now defines "department" as the Civil Rights Department (Government Code section 12925). It enforces the Fair Employment and Housing Act, including the California Family Rights Act, and other civil rights laws, and it investigates, mediates and sometimes sues on complaints.

The rule and its deadlines

In employment cases, a complaint must be submitted to the CRD within three years of the date the person was last harmed (Government Code section 12960(e)). A person who wants to go straight to court must obtain an immediate right-to-sue notice from the CRD first. With an immediate notice, the CRD does not investigate the complaint, and it does not file the complaint with the EEOC: a federal right-to-sue has to be obtained from the EEOC directly. If the CRD investigates, it must issue the notice on request after 150 days, or within one year of filing if no request is made (Government Code section 12965(c)).

Why it matters to a plaintiff firm

Many represented plaintiffs take the immediate right-to-sue route, which makes the CRD intake a filing step the firm controls. The firm drafts the complaint with care, since it defines the claims and parties the lawsuit may include, and decides whether federal claims need a separate EEOC charge. See the FEHA right-to-sue deadlines guide.