Michigan Department of Civil Rights

What they do

MDCR enforces the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act. It takes complaints from people who believe they were discriminated against in employment, housing, public accommodation, education or public service, and it investigates them.

When to file

File when the treatment you received looks like it was because of who you are rather than what you did. You do not need a lawyer to file, and you do not need to have already been fired or evicted.

What to know first

There are filing deadlines, and they are shorter than the deadline for a lawsuit. If you are thinking about it, the clock is a reason to move now rather than after you have finished deciding.

• A written timeline: what happened, when, and who was present
• The names and job titles of the people involved
• Any complaint you already made internally, and who received it
• Copies of emails, texts, schedules and reviews, saved somewhere other than a work account