Maui County prosecuting attorney ousted over claims of hostile work environment

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Maui’s prosecuting attorney is out of a job tonight as the county council voted unanimously to remove him from office.

During two days of hearings, the council heard testimony from employees who worked under Don Guzman, who was appointed by the mayor to be the county’s top attorney in 2019.

Many of them, mostly women, detailed a hostile work environment, in which they were yelled at, threatened, and intimidated by Guzman’s actions.

Guzman admits he is going through sensitivity training, but says the actions taken against him are unfair.

“I feel that my due process as an employee was not met, and I was denied my due process, with the mayor taking action on this matter, hand-delivering a termination letter,” Guzman, former prosecuting attorney, said.

In a statement, Maui Mayor Victorino said in part that he had high hopes for Mr. Guzman, but the complaint against him were “independently and thoroughly investigated."