An aggrieved party must file a charge alleging unlawful discrimination or segregation under Article 1 with the State Human Affairs Commission and seek conciliation of any civil action under Section 45-9-100 prior to bringing such action in the circuit court. The commission has sixty days to investigate the charge, attempt conciliation, and negotiate a settlement. The commission may establish regulations governing the conciliation of a charge filed pursuant to this section, but the failure to promulgate regulations shall not relieve a party from the requirements of this section. No civil action may be commenced by an aggrieved party until sixty days after the filing of the charge with the commission or until the commission issues a letter stating that the conciliation process has concluded, whichever occurs first. After the sixty-day period has expired, the person filing the charge is deemed to have exhausted his administrative remedy notwithstanding whether the commission has concluded its attempts at conciliation.
HISTORY: 1990 Act No. 423, Section 1, eff April 25, 1990.