The Hawaii Employment Practices Act makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, color, ancestry, sex including gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions, genetic information, AIDS/HIV, credit history or credit report, status as a victim of domestic or sexual violence, or arrest and court record (except if there has been a conviction directly related to job responsibilities).

In Hawaii, it is possible to file a discrimination claim either with the state administrative agency, the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission (HCRC), or the federal administrative agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The two agencies have what is called a “work-sharing agreement,” which means that the agencies cooperate with each other to process claims. Filing a claim with both agencies is unnecessary, as long as you indicate to one of the agencies that you want it to “cross-file” the claim with the other agency.

The Hawaii anti-discrimination statute covers employers of any size. Therefore, if your workplace has between 1 and 14 employees, you should file with the HCRC, as the EEOC enforces federal law which covers only employers with 15 or more employees. Otherwise, some attorneys recommend that you file with the EEOC first.

To file a claim with the HCRC, visit the HCRC can be found at the HCRC Website

To file a claim with the EEOC, contact your local EEOC office. More information about filing a claim with the EEOC can be found at the EEOC How to File page.

EEOC has launched an online service that enables individuals who have filed a discrimination charge to check the status of their charge online. This service provides a portal to upload and receive documents and communicate with the EEOC, allowing for a faster transmitting period. Those who have filed a charge can access information about their charge at their convenience, and allow entities that have been charged to receive the same information on the status of the charge. All of the EEOC offices now use the Digital Charge System. The system can be accessed at the EEOC website. 

Do not delay in contacting the HCRC or EEOC to file a claim. There are strict time limits in which charges of employment discrimination must be filed. To preserve your claim under state law, you must file with the HCRC (or cross-file with the EEOC) within180 daysof the date you believe you were discriminated against. To preserve your claim under federal law, you must file with the EEOC (or cross-file with the state agency) within300 daysof the date you believe you were discriminated against. However, as other applicable legal claims may have shorter deadlines, do not wait until your time limit is close to expiring to file your claim. You may wish to consult with an attorney prior to filing your claim, if possible. But if you are unable to find an attorney who will assist you, it is not necessary to have an attorney to file your claim with the state and federal administrative agencies.

When your charge is filed, the EEOC will give you a copy of your charge with your charge number. Within 10 days, the EEOC will also send a notice and a copy of the charge to the employer. At that point, the EEOC may decide to do one of the following:

• Ask both you and the employer to take part in a mediation program
• Ask the employer to provide a written answer to your charge and answer questions related to your claim, then your charge will be given to an investigator
• Dismiss the claim if your charge was not filed in time or if the EEOC does not have jurisdiction

If the EEOC decides to investigate your charge, the EEOC may interview witnesses and gather documents. Once the investigation is complete, they will let you and the employer know the result. If they decides that discrimination did not occur then they will send you a “Notice of Right to Sue.” This notice gives you permission to file a lawsuit in a court of law. If the EEOC determines that discrimination occurred then they will try to reach a voluntary settlement with the employer. If a settlement cannot reached, your case will be referred to the EEOC’s legal staff (or the Department of Justice in certain cases), who will decide whether or not the agency should file a lawsuit. If the EEOC decides not to file a lawsuit then they will give you a “Notice of Right to Sue.”

How long the investigation takes depends on a lot of different things, including the amount of information that needs to be gathered and analyzed. On average, it takes the EEOC nearly 6 months to investigate a charge. A charge is often able to settle faster through mediation (usually in less than 3 months).

If your case is successfully resolved by an administrative agency, it may not be necessary to hire an attorney or file a lawsuit (to resolve your case, you probably will be required as to sign a release of your legal claims). If your case is not resolved by the HCRC or EEOC, you may need to pursue your claim in court. A federal employment discrimination case cannot be filed in court without first going to the EEOC, as discussed above, and having the EEOC dismiss your case. This process is called “exhaustion” of your administrative remedy. Similarly, before you can proceed with a lawsuit based on your state discrimination claim, you must file with the HCRC (except for sexual harassment claims, which do not require exhaustion).

Under Hawaii law, there are some limits or caps on the damages for a discrimination claim. However, because it is easier in Hawaii state court to prevent summary judgment (a dismissal of the case by a judge prior to trial after disputed and undisputed facts have been presented), many attorneys in Hawaii choose to file employment discrimination cases instate court. Regardless, Cases may be brought in either state or federal court.

Once the EEOC issues the document known as “Dismissal and Notice of Rights” or “Notice of Right to Sue” (Form 161), only then can you file a case based upon your federal claim. A lawsuit based on your federal discrimination claim must be filed in federal or state court within90 daysof the date you receive the notice. (Be sure to mark down that date when you receive the notice.) A lawsuit based on your state claim must also be filed in court within90 daysof receiving the HCRC’s similar notice, unless you are bringing a sexual harassment case only, which does not require filing with the HCRC first and must be filed in court withintwo years. These deadlines are called the “statute of limitations.” If you have received one of these agency dismissal letters, do not delay consulting with an attorney. If your lawsuit is not filed by the deadline, then you may lose your ability to pursue a discrimination case.