RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Pokémon Company's former director of engineering at its Bellevue, Washington headquarters is now the subject of a class-action lawsuit, after the discovery of a hidden camera concealed in one of the building's bathrooms.
45-year-old Ben Tsai, the company's former engineering lead, was previously charged with first-degree voyeurism back in January, after the discovery of a video camera in a nearby Starbucks bathroom.
After further investigation, it was alleged that Tsai had also placed cameras in a Safeway store, in his own home, and in the bathroom of his workplace: The Pokémon Company's offices. Tsai was subsequently also charged with dealing and possessing child sexual abuse content, following the alleged discovery of hundreds of videos depicting adult and child nudity, some of which it's claimed he personally recorded.
For his part, Tsai has denied all of the charges.
According to The Seattle Times , Tsai has not been a Pokémon Company employee since the initial charge against him back in January. "Our focus remains on the well-being of our employees," a Pokémon Company spokesperson told the outlet.
However, a fresh class-action lawsuit is seeking to escalate pressure on Tsai, who is still currently being held by cops while on bail. Filed by an unnamed Jane Doe under Washington's anti-discrimination laws, this legal action seeks to represent all women and girls who may have used The Pokémon Company's female bathroom facilities between 2017 and 2026, and alleges that Tsai was likely recording footage not just for his own purposes, but in order to also distribute it further.
"Seeing someone who is engaged in the extensive amount of voyeurism and conduct that he's been charged with, the idea that this was all just for his own personal use and that there was no distribution seems doubtful," said Alex Dietz, an attorney representing Jane Doe.
The lawsuit also takes aim at The Pokémon Company itself, and claims it was negligent of its duty to protect employees by failing to identify Tsai as a potential threat, or control his actions.
Image credit: Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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