The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
(Cite as: 9 V.S.A. § 4555)
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§ 4555. Information; disclosure and confidentiality
(a)(1) Except as provided in this subsection, the Human Rights Commission’s complaint files
and investigative files shall be confidential.
(2) The Commission shall make the investigative file available to the charging party,
the respondent, their attorneys, and any State or federal law enforcement agency seeking
to enforce anti-discrimination statutes, upon reasonable request, except that the
Commission may refuse to disclose:
(A) the identities of nonparty witnesses to the investigation if good cause is shown to
protect the witness’s confidentiality; or
(B) records or information the release of which may be prohibited under State or federal
law absent court order.
(3) A party or entity denied information or records under subdivision (2)(A) or (B) of
this subsection may seek the information or records by subpoena. The Commission and
any affected person may contest the subpoena in court.
(4) Any records or information described in subdivision (2)(A) or (B) of this subsection
made available to a party or entity pursuant to a confidentiality agreement or court
order requiring confidentiality shall be kept confidential in accordance with the
agreement or order, unless disclosure is otherwise authorized by law or court order.
(b) Nothing said or done as part of conciliation efforts under this chapter may be made
a matter of public record or used as evidence in a subsequent civil action without
written consent of the parties. Final settlement agreements shall be public documents
and the parties shall be so informed.
(c) If the Commission determines that there are reasonable grounds to believe that discrimination
has occurred, that determination and the names of the parties may be made public after
the parties have been notified of the Commission’s determination. If the Commission
finds that there are no reasonable grounds to find discrimination, the identity of
the parties and any information that would identify the parties shall remain confidential.
The Commission shall inform the parties about the provisions of this subsection. In
all cases, even if the records are confidential, the facts may be used for educational
purposes if sufficiently altered so that no person involved in a case can be identified. (Added 1989, No. 89, § 6; amended 1995, No. 172 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2015, No. 29, § 20.)