Customers Sue Sears Because Changing Rooms Aren’t Free Peepshows

Facing yourself in the mirror of a changing room can be a tough experience in itself (bathing suit season, ugh — am I right, ladies?), but to find out that someone has been peeping on what you thought was a private clothes-changing session is extra uncool. Sears is being sued by about 25 people alleging a former maintenance man hid video cameras and taped women in one of its dressing rooms.

According to CBS 2 in Los Angeles, the suit was filed on Monday on behalf of plaintiffs alleging they were the victims of a peeping tom employed by Sears.

The man was arrested on April 12 and is facing 30 criminal counts of peeping into a changing room with the intention of invading an individual’s privacy and 30 criminal counts of using a concealed video recording device inside a changing room. Allegedly, cameras installed by the man were linked to laptop computers and triggered by motion sensors, and had been in place for around three years.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for a wide range of things: negligent hiring, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and hostile work environment, harassment, retaliation against the employees who came forward in the case, supervision and the fact that the man stayed an employee of Sears.

The lawyers for the plaintiffs allege that Sears turned a blind eye, despite the man’s suspicious behavior dating back to 2009.

Sears isn’t commenting on the lawsuit due to pending litigation; however:

“But as we said previously and with all due respect to the associates who may have been impacted by this incident, no member of management or leadership in the company had any prior knowledge of the accused’s alleged conduct until it was discovered in our store. At that point, we immediately launched an investigation and turned the matter over to the police,” said company spokesperson Kimberly Freely.

Lawsuit Filed Against Sears On Behalf Of Peeping Tom Victims [CBS 2 Los Angeles]

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