The Pokémon Company International and its former director of engineering are facing a proposed class action alleging the company failed to protect women and girls from hidden cameras placed inside bathrooms at its Bellevue, Washington, headquarters.
The lawsuit was filed in King County Superior Court by an anonymous woman and names former Pokémon executive Ben Tsai as a defendant. It alleges Tsai secretly recorded employees, children and visitors while they used bathrooms inside the company’s offices.
The complaint seeks to represent all women and girls who used the Bellevue bathroom facilities between 2017 and July 25, 2026. The proposed class period extends beyond Tsai’s employment with the company, which ended in January 2026.
Filing a proposed class action does not automatically allow one person to represent everyone described in the complaint. The court must first determine whether the claims meet Washington’s requirements for class treatment, including whether the proposed members share sufficiently similar legal and factual issues.
The lawsuit accuses Tsai of violating Washington’s Law Against Discrimination by allegedly targeting women and girls because of their sex. It also brings negligence claims against The Pokémon Company International.
The complaint claims the company failed to properly train, monitor, or control Tsai and did not take reasonable steps to protect people using its facilities despite alleged warning signs.
A negligence claim generally requires proof that a company failed to take reasonable steps to prevent a foreseeable risk of harm. The lawsuit alleges Pokémon failed to meet that duty by not adequately supervising Tsai or protecting people who used the company’s bathroom facilities.
The civil lawsuit follows a separate criminal investigation that began after authorities allegedly found a hidden camera inside a bathroom at a Starbucks in Kirkland.
Tsai was charged with first-degree voyeurism in January 2026. Prosecutors later filed additional charges, including first-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and first- and second-degree possession charges.
According to charging documents, investigators reviewed electronic devices connected to Tsai and found hundreds of videos containing recordings of adult nudity. Authorities also identified files that led to the criminal charges involving depictions of minors.
Investigators claim some of the recordings were made by Tsai and came from several locations, including the Pokémon offices in Bellevue, the Kirkland Starbucks, a Safeway store and Tsai’s residence.
Tsai has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. His attorney, Bradley Barshis, said Tsai intends to continue entering not-guilty pleas as the prosecution moves forward. A judge set bail at $500,000, and Tsai is being held at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
In a statement, The Pokémon Company International said its focus remains on the well-being of its employees. The company also confirmed that Tsai has not worked for Pokémon since January 2026.
