CRD (California Civil Rights Department)
The California Civil Rights Department, or CRD, is the state agency that investigates and enforces FEHA, California's main workplace anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, and anti-retaliation statute. CRD used to be called the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH); the name changed in July 2022, the underlying authority did not.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- CRD is the California Civil Rights Department, the state agency that investigates and enforces FEHA; it replaced DFEH in July 2022 without changing the underlying authority.
- Three-year filing window from the last unlawful act under Gov. Code §12960(e), extended from one year by AB 9 in 2020.
- An employee can request an immediate right-to-sue letter to move straight to Superior Court, or let CRD investigate first.
- After a right-to-sue letter issues, the employee has one year to file the civil lawsuit; missing that window kills the FEHA claim.
Filing a CRD Charge
An employee with a FEHA claim almost always has to file a charge with CRD before suing in California Superior Court. The filing deadline is three years from the last unlawful act under Gov. Code §12960(e), a window extended from one year by AB 9 in 2020. After CRD issues a right-to-sue letter, the employee has one year to file a civil lawsuit.
Example in Practice
A hospital nurse reports to HR that her unit director has been making racially derogatory comments. Three months later, the director moves her to the worst shift and writes her up for a charting error she did not commit. The nurse can file a single CRD charge alleging both racial harassment and retaliation under Gov. Code §12940(j) and (h), and request an immediate right-to-sue if she wants to move to court without waiting for CRD to investigate.
Pre-Suit Process and Mediation
CRD also runs the mandatory pre-suit process for many California claims and offers free voluntary mediation. If you are weighing a complaint, a California employment discrimination lawyer can help draft the charge so it preserves every viable theory.
From our practice: We file CRD charges with dual goals. The first is preserving the statute. The second is locking in a clean factual record before discovery, because the verified charge becomes evidence at trial. Sloppy intake forms hurt cases later. We rewrite client intake narratives before they go to the CRD portal so the charge mirrors the legal theory the case will actually be tried on.
Attorney Advertising. Page reviewed by David M. Safvati, CA Bar #326605. This advertisement is the responsibility of Westview Law PC.
