by Nick Delgado

Guam - The Calvo Administration is reacting to a lawsuit filed in the District Court by a former legal secretary from the Public Defender Service Corporation. The complaint is against his former employer, the governor and lieutenant governor - making strong claims of a corrupt government, a non-policed bar association, and a politically controlled attorney general's office. Dustin O'Brien, who was fired alleges unethical behavior among the Alternate Public Defender staff, and claims his termination was unlawful after speaking out about what he believes was the unlawful administration of compensatory time.

His claims against the governor are for the failure to appoint members to the Guam Employment Relations Board and states the cycle of corruption continues in the government.

Governor's communications director Troy Torres told KUAM News, "There is absolutely no connection between the governor and the lieutenant governor and what this gentleman is purporting happened at the Public Defender's Office…we can't speak for the Public Defender's Office, but we do know that this is a government of professionals with thousands of people who do their jobs everyday and to say that corruption is rampant throughout the Government of Guam. That's a little inflammatory and it doesn't give credit to the thousand of people in GovGuam who come into to work and work hard and go beyond the call of duty to get the job done for the people."

O'Brien has asked the court for a number of things, to include being reinstated to his position and being awarded various damages. In the meantime, the Attorney General's Office, the Guam Bar Association and Public Defender's Office executive director Eric Miller declined comment on the pending litigation.