Except as otherwise provided by
RCW
49.60.340, the law against discrimination
preserves the right of a complainant or aggrieved person to simultaneously
pursue other available civil or criminal remedies for an alleged violation of
the law in addition to, or in lieu of, filing an administrative complaint of
discrimination with the commission, with the following limitations:
(1)
Abeyance -- Real estate
transactions. A complaint of an unfair practice in a real estate
transaction filed concurrently with the commission and another federal, state
or local instrumentality with whom the commission has entered into a
cooperative agreement under the terms of
RCW
49.60.226 or other provision of law will be
held in abeyance during the pendency of the other proceeding unless the other
proceeding has been deferred pending state action under the terms of the
cooperative agreement.
(2)
Abeyance -- General rule. A complaint of an unfair practice other
than in real estate transactions will be held in abeyance during the pendency
of a case in federal or state court litigating the same claim, whether under
the law against discrimination or a similar law, unless the executive director
or the commissioners direct that the complaint continue to be processed. A
complaint of an unfair practice other than in real estate transactions will not
be held in abeyance during pendency of a federal, state, or local
administrative proceeding, unless the executive director or commissioners
determine that it should be held in abeyance.
(3) No complainant or aggrieved person may
secure relief from more than one governmental agency, instrumentality or
tribunal for the same harm or injury.
(4) Where the complainant or aggrieved person
elects to pursue simultaneous claims in more than one forum, the factual and
legal determinations issued by the first tribunal to rule on the claims may, in
some circumstances, be binding on all or portions of the claims pending before
other tribunals.