Office of Workplace Rights and Compliance Investigation Information

Find information you need on your rights and responsibilities as a Trial Court employee under the Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment, Retaliation and Complaint Resolution Procedures.

Investigation Participant Information

Please carefully read the Massachusetts Trial Court’s PPPM Section 5: Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment, Retaliation and Complaint Resolution Procedures, as well as Section 16.100 of the PPPM. It is your responsibility to understand its contents and ask any questions or raise any concerns with the Investigator.

The Investigator is an impartial fact finder and is not an advocate for any party to any investigation, including yourself. The Investigator will determine if the allegations rise to the level of requiring an investigation. If so, your statements and/or your name may be used in final reports that are distributed to others, such as your supervisor or manager.

Your rights and responsibilities under these policies are:

• to ask questions about the process prior to answering any investigative questions,
• to request a reasonable accommodation to enable full participation in the investigation,
• to request in advance an interpreter,
• to have a personal representative, if you so choose, such as a union steward (you are responsible for arranging their presence),
• to cooperate fully with the investigation, to attend all interview appointments, and be truthful and honest in your responses to the best of your ability during an interview session,
• to consent to a follow up interview as may be needed,
• to take notes if you so choose, but no one will be permitted to record the interview(s),
• to present your own knowledge of the incident(s) and view of the circumstances surrounding the allegations(s), and pose/raise any questions for consideration,
• to suggest names of persons who may have direct relevant information regarding the allegation(s),
• to provide all relevant information, including original documents, texts, emails, videos, etc. to the Investigator before, during, or following the interview,
• to continue to perform all your job duties in a professional and respectful manner.

You are required to maintain the confidentiality of your testimony and other information pertaining to the investigation, strictly limited to those on a need-to-know basis. OWRC will also make every attempt to maintain confidentiality, speaking with only those who need to know or participate in the investigation. Please note that any witness may be called to participate in a hearing and testify regarding their statements.

You have the right to be free from any undue influence or retaliation. You also have the responsibility to refrain from exerting undue influence or retaliating against any of the parties. It is your responsibility to inform the Investigator immediately of any such action.

Date published:	April 18, 2024
Last updated:	October 14, 2025