MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - The whistleblower lawsuit against Marquette County has moved one step forward. The county filed its response in court.

Marquette County has denied wrongdoing in the whistleblower lawsuit filed last October by former IT employee Paul Carley. Carley says he was terminated after alerting his superiors to cybersecurity concerns within the county’s network.

The county hired Karhu Cyber Security last July. Carley says the county gave Karhu employees more access to the county’s network than is legally permitted.

In its response, the county says it hired Karhu Cyber Security to perform a security assessment and not an audit as the initial suit said.

Going further, the county also says it authorized those tests of the system and Carley was “not engaged in protected activity as defined by the Whistleblower Protection Act.” The response also says Carley’s termination was not because of his failure or refusal to violate a law.

Carley’s initial suit asks that Carley get his job back, plus back wages. It also seeks compensation for emotional distress, mental anguish, humiliation and damage to his professional reputation.

Meanwhile, the county has called for the judge in the case to dismiss the suit and award attorney costs and fees to the county.

A motion hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30 and a pretrial conference is set for Nov. 13.

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