Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 11, June 11, 2024
Section 9.1.1.9 - INVESTIGATIONS AND ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION (ADR)A. Investigation deadlines:(1) The bureau shall send the respondent a request for information and the respondent will be required to answer and submit documents within 30 calendar days from the date of the request. The deadline may be extended by the investigator for up to 20 calendar days. Any requests for additional time beyond that must be made in writing, to the director, detailing the reason for the request, and may only be granted for good cause.(2) When the respondent answers the complaint, the bureau shall provide the response without the exhibits to the complainant. The complainant will be required to provide a rebuttal to the response within 30 calendar days of the bureau's correspondence. The deadline may be extended by the investigator for up to 20 calendar days. Any requests for additional time beyond that must be made in writing, to the director, detailing the reason for the request, and may only be granted for good cause. If no position statement is submitted by the respondent, the complainant may submit additional evidence to the bureau within 30 calendar days of notice.(3) The complainant may file an amendment to the complaint at any time prior to the bureau's receipt of the respondent's position statement. If the complainant wishes to amend the complaint after that time, the complainant must submit a request for withdrawal of the original complaint and file a new complaint. The new filing must be filed within 300 calendar days of the most recent alleged act of discrimination to be considered timely.(4) If either party does not provide a response by the deadline, the bureau may conduct the investigation with the information available at the time and issue a final decision based on that evidence.(5) If a complainant files multiple cases against the same respondent, the bureau may, in its discretion, consolidate the cases for purposes of investigation and determination any time after noticing the new charge to the respondent.B. The bureau's authority to investigate a complaint is not limited to the procedure outlined in Subsection A of this section.C. Mediation: Throughout the investigation, the bureau may provide opportunity for the parties to engage in mediation discussions. Should an agreement resolving the complaint be reached through mediation, the terms shall be reduced to writing in a settlement agreement and will be signed by the parties. If a settlement agreement is signed, no determination will be issued by the director. The bureau shall close the complaint upon receipt of the fully-executed settlement agreement.D. Failure of the respondent or the complainant to abide by a fully-executed settlement agreement will require the aggrieved party to seek enforcement of the agreement in court.9/1/98; Recompiled 10/01/01, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXVIII, Issue 21, November 14, 2017, eff. 11/14/2017, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXX, Issue 24, December 31, 2019, eff. 1/1/2020, Amended by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXII, Issue 01, January 12, 2021, eff. 1/12/2021, Amended by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXIV, Issue 19, October 10, 2023, eff. 10/10/2023