The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination is overwhelmed with cases. While that fact has long been known to lawyers who practice at the Commission, it was only recently publicized in a WBZ-TV news story. As part of the news segment, WVZ interviewed Commissioner Jamie Williamson, who chairs the Commission, and even she acknowledged that the workload does not allow the Commission to fulfill its mission.
In this writer's opinion, the truth is much worse than what the story reported. While WBZ noted that cases can take three to four years to reach completion, cases that proceed to a full hearing ake much longer. I have had cases where the MCAD took over three years just to issue a probable cause finding. This delay results in egregious injustice when the decision is a lack of probable cause, because Chapter 151B -- the state anti-discrimination statute -- has a three year statute of limitations, which means that after three years from date of the discriminatory action, the employee can no longer file a lawsuit. This is true even if the employee has already filed at the MCAD. A lack of probable cause issued three years later means the employee is prevented from going to court by a decision written often by a legal intern.
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