A lawsuit filed Monday in the District Court of Guam seeks $61.5 million from the Guam Visitors Bureau, alleging former president Carl Gutierrez repeatedly sexually harassed and assaulted an employee during official travel and in GVB offices between October 2022 and August 2024.
The plaintiff, identified as "Jane Doe" and represented by Razzano Walsh and Torres, P.C., alleges the first incident occurred in Gutierrez's hotel room during a 2022 work trip to Osaka, Japan, with later assaults alleged during additional Osaka trips, a June 2024 trip to Saipan and an August 2024 incident in Gutierrez's office. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The suit names GVB as defendant, alleging a "widespread, longstanding, and well-settled custom and practice of tolerating, concealing, and facilitating sexualized misconduct by senior leadership." It also alleges the plaintiff was discouraged from reporting by GVB's legal counsel and that a third-party investigation found her accounts credible but resulted in no disciplinary action because Gutierrez had resigned and declined to be interviewed.
Board Chair George Chiu is also named, with the suit alleging responsibility tied to the Saipan trip. The plaintiff claims severe emotional distress and lost wages and demands a jury trial, attorneys' fees and changes to GVB practices.
In a statement, the Office of the Governor called the allegations serious but emphasized GVB is a public corporation overseen by an independent board, not under the governor's direct control. "This case does not involve any employees of our office or the 'government of Guam,'" it said, calling any notion of a government cover-up "preposterous."
In a release, GVB said they would not comment on the matter.