1) John, an employee, wants to file a discrimination complaint against his employer. He must first file the complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) within 180 days of the alleged violation.
2) The EEOC will notify the employer and try to resolve the issue through mediation within 10 days. If mediation fails, the EEOC will investigate and decide if there is reasonable cause to sue.
3) If the EEOC finds in John's favor, it will issue a right-to-sue letter. John then has 90 days to file a civil lawsuit in federal court, where the case will be reviewed de novo regardless of the EEOC's initial findings.