November 21, 2025
LANSING, MI — Today, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) filed a formal charge of discrimination against McLaren Regional Medical Center Auxiliary for unequal service and failure to accommodate based on disability.
“Michigan’s Persons With Disabilities Civil Rights Act protects residents and visitors from the automatic denial of accommodations for a disability,” said MDCR Executive Director John E. Johnson, Jr. “The law requires organizations to engage in an interactive process to determine if appropriate tools or changes in policy would allow the full use and enjoyment of public resources.”
The Claimant, who is a person with quadriplegia, applied for volunteer positions with McLaren and participated in an interview in June 2019. Claimant alleges that during the interview several comments were made questioning whether the disability would interfere with the ability to perform any volunteer position and subsequently refused to consider any accommodation. The effect of this denial was that Claimant was deprived of the full and equal enjoyment of volunteer opportunities with McLaren.
Claimant subsequently filed a complaint of discrimination and MDCR conducted an impartial investigation. The investigation determined that McLaren Regional Medical Center Auxiliary denied Claimant service due to a disability and refused to consider an accommodation to a disability. Both decisions violated Michigan’s Persons With Disabilities Civil Rights Act (PWDCRA). As a result, MDCR filed a formal charge of discrimination on November 21, 2025.
Following a charge of discrimination, an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) will conduct a hearing where the Department and the Respondent will have the opportunity to present evidence. After hearing the evidence, the ALJ will then issue a Proposal for Decision, which is a recommendation to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission - the final arbiter in complaints filed with MDCR - explaining what facts and law support the ALJ’s conclusion that discrimination did or did not occur. If the ALJ determines that discrimination occurred, the Proposal for Decision would also include a recommendation on what remedies should be provided. Under the PWDCRA, in the area of public accommodation, available remedies include but are not limited to: payment of civil fines, payment to the claimant for damages, posting of notices of relevant civil rights laws, or any other relief the Commission deems appropriate.
Once the ALJ’s Proposal for Decision goes to the Commission, the members will select one or more Commissioners to serve as Hearing Officers who are charged with drafting a final order and opinion for the full Commission’s consideration. The entire Commission will then vote on whether they agree with the proposed final order. There is no time limit imposed on drafting and approving the Commission’s final order and opinion, but efforts are made to present the matter to the Commission for consideration within 3-6 months.
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights is charged with investigating and resolving complaints of discrimination and working to prevent discrimination through educational programs that promote voluntary compliance with civil rights laws. MDCR is the operational arm of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission (MCRC). Learn more about MDCR and MCRC at michigan.gov/MDCR.
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