Houdini Help Center

The Houdini Help Center provides information and instructions so you can easily submit and track your request using the online system, called Houdini.  Houdini is the official online system for the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.  

Click below to begin using Houdini to securely:




 FAQs, Acknowledgements and Instructions


     To File a Complaint

    Acknowledgement:

    Signing under Penalty of Perjury.  By submitting this complaint I am declaring under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct of my own knowledge except as to matters stated on my information and belief, and as to those matters I believe it to be true.

    The acknowledgement also includes the Department's Privacy Policy.

    Instructions:

    STOP: You are about to file a complaint with the DFEH alleging discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation. The decision to file a complaint is important.  If you are not sure whether you want to file a complaint, please call the DFEH at 800-884-1684 before you file a complaint. 

    If you file a complaint, the respondent (employer, landlord, etc.) will be notified in writing that you filed a complaint.  If your complaint is investigated, the respondent will be asked to respond in writing to the allegations in the complaint.  It is unlawful for any person covered by the FEHA to threaten, intimidate, or harass you because you have filed a complaint.

    If your complaint is not investigated, you will be given a “Right to Sue Notice” which allows you to file a private lawsuit and the respondent will be notified.  You will have one year from the date on your Right to Sue notice to file a private lawsuit. (The paragraph only appears in the employment complaint instructions within Houdini).

    IMPORTANT: To complete the complaint process, you must complete a series of questions that will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.  You must complete the entire process and click "submit" to file the complaint.  The information you provide is saved as you click "next" on each screen.  You may resume the session within 10 days to complete the process.  After 10 days, the information will expire and it will be necessary to restart the filing process.

    Before you begin, you should have the following information readily available:

    1.  Contact information and mailing address for the respondent—i.e., the person or employer that you are filing against.
    2.  Contact information and mailing address for any additional respondents—i.e., any additional person(s) that you wish to file against.  
    3.  Contact information and mailing address for the "Agent for Service" - i.e., the person that should be notified that you filed a complaint.  The Department will serve the employer's "Agent for Service"  with a copy of your complaint so you will need the complete contact information for the person that should receive the complaint.  If you do not know the name of the person who should receive a copy of the complaint, you may provide the contact information and mailing address for the human resources manager.  If you do not know the name of the human resources manager, please provide the contact information for the owner or president of the company.

    Please note that any files you upload will be a part of your complaint.  Please paste the exact text that you want inserted into the complaint in the "Case Notes" section.

    If you have more than 10 respondents, please contact the Department at (800) 884-1684.  If you have a hearing impairment, please call our videophone at (916) 226-5285 or TDD at (800) 700-2320.

    Final Instructions After Clicking "Submit":

    Thank you for submitting a new complaint with the DFEH.  An investigator will review your complaint and interview you within 10 business days.  Please refer to our website for an overview of the investigative process and what you can expect.  You can return to our online tool to check the status of your complaint or to contact your investigator.  You can also send an email with your DFEH complaint number to contact.center@dfeh.ca.gov.

     

     To Obtain A Right to Sue

    Acknowledgement:

    Signing under Penalty of Perjury              

    1.  I wish to pursue this matter in court and request that the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (Department) provide a Right to Sue notice.
    2.  I understand that I have one year from the date I submit my complaint to file a private lawsuit.
    3.  I understand that once I obtain a Right to Sue notice, the Department will not investigate or reopen my complaint.
    4.  I understand that if I want a federal Right to Sue notice, I must contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to file a complaint within 30 days of receipt of my DFEH "Notice of Case Closure and Right to Sue" or within 300 days of the alleged discriminatory act, whichever is earlier.  EEOC can be reached at (800) 669-4000 or TTY (800) 669-6820 or online at http://www.eeoc.gov/offices.

    By submitting this complaint, I am declaring under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that, to the best of my knowledge, all information contained in this complaint is true and correct, except matters stated on my information and belief, and I declare that those matters I believe to be true.

    Instructions:

    To obtain the Right to Sue notice, you must complete a series of questions that will take approximately 15-30 minutes to complete.  You may save the information and resume the session at another time to complete the process.  You must complete the entire process and click "submit" to obtain your Right to Sue.  The information you provide is saved as you click "next" on each screen and you may resume the session within 10 days to complete the process.  After 10 days, the information will expire and it will be necessary to restart the process.  

    Before you begin, you should have the following information readily available:

    1.  Contact information and mailing address for the respondent—i.e., the person or employer that you are filing against.
    2.  Contact information and mailing address for any additional respondents—i.e., any additional person(s) that you wish to file against.  
    3.  Contact information and mailing address for the "Agent for Service" - i.e., the person that should be notified that you filed a complaint and obtained a Right to Sue notice.  If you do not have an attorney, the Department will serve the employer's "Agent for Service"  with a copy of your complaint so you will need the complete contact information for the person that should receive the complaint.  If you do not know the name of the person who should receive a copy of the complaint, you may provide the contact information and mailing address for the human resources manager.  If you do not know the name of the human resources manager, please provide the contact information for the owner or president of the company.

    Please note that any files you upload will be a part of your complaint.  Please paste the exact text that you want inserted into the complaint in the "Case Notes" section.

    If you have more than 10 respondents, please contact the Department at (800) 884-1684.  If you have a hearing impairment, please call our videophone at (916) 226-5285 or TDD at (800) 700-2320.

    Final Instructions After Clicking "Submit":

    Your Right to Sue has been sent to the email address you provided during the log-in.  You can also log back into our online system to download the documents. For your security, to download documents you will need the second password that was sent to you in your email confirmation.

    If you have a representative/attorney, you will receive two attachments to the email.  One is for your records and the other is for your representative/attorney.  Please give your representative/attorney the designated attachment/package.

    If you do not have a representative/attorney, you will receive one attachment for your records.  The Department will serve the employer's Agent for Service with a copy of your complaint.

    Thank you for using our online system.

     

     To Request Public Records

    Acknowledgement:

     I understand the fees for public records, records are only retained for three years and information is not provided on cases that are under investigation.

    Instructions:

    Step 1: Submit Request
    Complete a series of questions that will take approximately 5-10 minutes.  If you lack some information, we will still attempt to process your request.  Please note that each request is processed independently.  After you submit your request, you will receive an invoice to process your request within ten (10) days.  The Department will not copy and documents before payment is received.

    Step 2: Submit Payment
    There is a fee of $0.10 per page for duplication plus the cost for mail.  If you choose to have the information e-mailed to you, there is no cost for mail (Gov. Code, § 6253, subd. (b).)  There may be a fee of $24 per hour if your request requires the Department to compile records or extract information from an electronic record or undertake programming to satisfy your request.  Once payment is received we will complete the processing of your request.  You will receive your information or a copy of the redacted file(s) within twenty (20) days after the Department receives payment.  Please note that if payment is not received within 30 days you must submit a new request.

    IMPORTANT: You must complete a series of questions that will take approximately 5 minutes to complete.  You must complete the entire process and click "submit" to complete your request.  The information you provide is saved as you click "next" on each screen.  You may resume the session within 10 days to complete the process.  After 10 days, the information will expire and it will be necessary to restart the process.

     Final Instructions After Clicking "Submit":

     Your request has been submitted successfully.


     Still Need Help

    • Email support@dfeh.ca.gov. You will receive a response within one business day.
    • Call Houdini Support at (916) 585-7069.  If you have a visual impairment, please call 800-884-1684, use the Videophone at (916) 226-5285 or TDD at (800) 700-2320 and ask for the Houdini Help Desk.