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Camacho’s discrimination suit vs DPS dismissed
The discrimination lawsuit filed by police major Lawrence M. Camacho against the Department of Public Safety was dismissed Monday with prejudice, which means Camacho can no longer re-file the case. The case was closed.
Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho dismissed the case at the parties’ request.
Attorney Robert T. Torres, representing Maj. Camacho, and assistant attorney general Thomas J. Schweiger, counsel for DPS, told the court that the production of discovery by DPS has provided the information in response to the major’s grievance.
Discovery refers to a pre-trial procedure in a lawsuit in which a party can obtain evidence from the other party or parties by means of a request.
The bench trial for the case, set for Dec. 11, 2017, was also dismissed.
Last July, Schweiger stated in court documents that Lawrence Camacho has not incurred any damages because he was promoted to a police major shortly after DPS denied him the director of police position.
Schweiger said that Camacho was promoted to the next highest position (major) at DPS with the same increase of salary that he would have received had been named police director.
In July 2015, then-DPS commissioner James Deleon Guerrero informed Lawrence Camacho that Pete Leon Guerrero was selected police director. Leon Guerrero is now the special assistant for the CNMI Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
In his lawsuit, Lawrence Camacho, through Torres, said he was the only one who applied for the position when the Civil Service Commission announced it open between Dec. 10 and 24, 2014.
Torres said the examination for the position was announced a second time and a third time by CSC after Lawrence Camacho and no one else applied during the first and second announcement.
Lawrence Camacho, a 26-year veteran of the CNMI’s police force, filed a petition for judicial review of agency action and injunction against DPS and Civil Service Commission for allegedly not selecting him to the position police despite being the only one qualified.
