A $500 million lawsuit has been filed against the Michigan Department of Corrections. The lawsuit, which represents at least 20 women who were detained at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Township, Michigan, alleges that guards at the facility were instructed to use their body cameras in a manner that allowed them to record female inmates undergoing strip searches.

The complaint also states that illegal video recordings occurred when women were showering or using the bathroom. The lawsuit was filed earlier this month in Washtenaw County Circuit Court. While the lawsuit names 20 women, it’s alleged that at least 500 women were illegally recorded at the state’s only female prison.

The lawsuit names the Michigan Department of Corrections, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the correctional facility in question, and several correctional officers who worked there. The complaint details that the illegal recordings took place between January 2025 and March 2025. Recordings stopped after correctional officials were instructed to change the setting on their recording devices.

Initially, the cameras were in a "passing recording mode." During this mode, the camera took still images, video, and other data of women when they were in compromised states, like strip searches or when they were using the bathroom.

The lawsuit explains that many of the women in the correctional facility have also been victims of rape, and that because of the way they were unknowingly exposed, they suffered psychological damage and humiliation due to the alleged illegal recordings.

While the correctional facility stopped allowing officers to record inmates on March 24th in “passing recording mode" and required guards to put cameras on "sleep mode," the lawsuit maintains that correctional officers violated state law, which prohibits photographing or recording an individual’s private parts.

Despite the women being in state custody, their constitutional rights were violated, and state officials went as far as ignoring warnings from advocacy groups and state legislators regarding the way the cameras were recording inmates.

Complaints began surfacing, resulting in the lawsuit in early February, after internal communications revealed that officials were fully aware of these legal concerns yet continued the practice for five more weeks before all offices were required to put cameras on “Sleep Mode.”

The victims are being represented by attorney Todd Flood, who issued a statement explaining:

"What these women continue to endure is nothing short of horrific. This case exposes a grotesque abuse of power that directly retraumatizes survivors of sexual assault."

Flood added that prison officials have privately reached out to him, expressing concerns that the surveillance during strip searches did not feel ethical or legal. Despite multiple warnings about the policy’s illegality from advocacy organizations and state legislators, MDOC officials failed to fully halt these privacy violations.

Along with seeking $500 million in damages, the women are asking the court to have data from the recordings of the alleged illegal strip searches and other photographic or video evidence destroyed. The lawsuit is also asking the court to require the Michigan Department of Corrections to improve staff training to prevent future violations.