354-A:22 Judicial Review and Enforcement. –
I. Any complainant, respondent or other person aggrieved by such order of the commission may obtain judicial review of the order, and the commission or any interested person may obtain an order of court for its enforcement, in a proceeding as provided in this section. Such proceeding shall be brought in the superior court of the state within any county in which the unlawful practice which is the subject of the commission's order occurs or in which any person required in the order to cease and desist from an unlawful practice or to take other affirmative action resides or transacts business.
II. Such proceeding shall be initiated by the filing of a petition in such court, together with a written transcript of the record upon the hearing before the commission in the case of a petition for judicial review, and issuance and service of a summons as in proceedings in equity. The court shall have power to grant such temporary relief or restraining order as it deems just and proper, and to make and enter upon the pleadings, testimony, and proceedings set forth in such transcript an order or decree enforcing, modifying, and enforcing as so modified, or setting aside in whole or in part the order of the commission, with full power to issue injunctions against any respondent and to punish for contempt of court. No objection that has not been urged before the commission shall be considered by the court, unless the failure or neglect to urge such objection shall be excused because of extraordinary circumstances. In petitions to enforce commission orders, the court may, in its discretion, award the complaining party reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
III. Any party may move the court to remit the case to the commission in the interests of justice for the purpose of adducing additional specified and material evidence and seeking findings thereon, or in the alternative to move the court to accept such additional evidence itself, provided he shows reasonable grounds for the failure to adduce such evidence before the commission. The superior court shall have the authority to make all rulings of law, findings of fact and determinations of damages and fines, if any, notwithstanding any such rulings, findings or determinations made by the commission. All such proceedings shall be heard and determined by the court as expeditiously as possible and shall take precedence over all other matters before it, except matters of like nature. The jurisdiction of the superior court shall be exclusive and its final order or decree shall be subject to review by the supreme court in the same manner and form and with the same effect as in appeals from a final order or decree in proceedings in equity.
IV. The commission's copy of the testimony shall be available at all reasonable times to all parties for examination and for the purposes of judicial review of the order of the commission. The review shall be heard on the record without requirement of printing. The commission may appear in court by one of its attorneys. A proceeding under this section when instituted by any complainant, respondent or other person aggrieved must be instituted within 30 days after the service of the order of the commission.
V. If the complainant brings an action in federal court arising out of the same claims of discrimination which formed the basis of an order or decision of the commission, such order or decision shall be vacated and any appeal therefrom pending in any state court shall be dismissed.
Source. 1992, 224:1, 4, 5. 2000, 277:7, eff. June 16, 2000. 2014, 204:12, eff. July 11, 2014.