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The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit following the arrest of former Director of Engineering Ben Tsai, who is accused of secretly placing hidden cameras in company restrooms.
If you used the restroom facilities at The Pokémon Company International’s headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, between 2017 and the present, your privacy may have been severely violated by hidden recording devices. A proposed class action lawsuit alleges the major entertainment company failed to protect employees, visitors, and children from a former high-ranking executive who secretly installed hidden cameras inside company bathrooms.
At ClassActionU.org, we believe every person has a fundamental right to personal privacy and safety in the workplace and public venues. When major corporations fail to implement necessary security safeguards or ignore red flags involving predatory behavior by high-level supervisors, innocent workers and visitors pay a devastating emotional toll. We empower everyday consumers and employees to hold corporations accountable when their negligence exposes people to severe harm.
The legal action stems from the arrest of Ben Tsai, 45, who served in a senior management role as Director of Engineering at The Pokémon Company International from 2017 until 2026. The 11-page proposed class action lawsuit (Jane Doe v. The Pokémon Company International, Inc. et al., Case No. 26-2-24570-3) was filed on July 30, 2026, in Washington state court.
According to court documents and law enforcement records, Tsai was initially arrested and charged with first-degree voyeurism after a hidden recording device aimed toward a toilet was discovered in a unisex bathroom at a Starbucks store in Kirkland, Washington. During subsequent police interrogations, Tsai confessed to installing hidden cameras across multiple locations, including a Safeway grocery store, his personal residence, a Starbucks, and the Bellevue office of The Pokémon Company International.
The lawsuit alleges that Tsai placed concealed recording equipment inside the company’s Bellevue restrooms to record individuals in various states of undress. Court filings state that these illicit recordings were created and stored for personal sexual gratification and potential commercial exploitation through distribution on messaging networks.
Following months of digital forensic analysis by law enforcement, investigators uncovered hundreds of videos containing adult nudity and illicit images. Authorities revealed that Tsai had transmitted over 200 messages containing illegal material and maintained a messaging application holding 680 videos targeting women, young girls, and family members. Tsai subsequently faced four additional criminal charges following his initial arrest.
The class action lawsuit names both The Pokémon Company International, Inc. and Ben Tsai as defendants. The complaint asserts that the company knew or should have known of the inherent risks of voyeurism within its office facilities, yet failed to take reasonable measures to supervise Tsai or safeguard people using its restrooms.
According to the complaint, The Pokémon Company International regularly hosts events at its Bellevue location where members of the general public—specifically children and young fans—are invited and encouraged to attend. Despite welcoming families and community members into its building, the company allegedly failed to conduct adequate security sweeps, monitor executive conduct, or respond to potential indicators of illicit activity within its restrooms.
The lawsuit charges that the company’s failure to control its director of engineering directly enabled nearly a decade of predatory conduct. The complaint further highlights that because the hidden cameras specifically targeted women and young girls, the company’s conduct constitutes sex and gender discrimination under state law.
The lawsuit relies heavily on protections guaranteed under the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), alongside common-law claims of negligence, invasion of privacy, and premises liability. The WLAD explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sex, gender, and protected status in places of public accommodation and employment settings.
Under Washington state law, employers and property operators maintain a legal duty to provide a safe environment free from harassment, illegal surveillance, and predatory conduct. When an employer grants an executive unchecked access to corporate facilities and fails to oversee their conduct, the employer can be held legally responsible for the resulting harm under principles of corporate negligence and vicarious liability.
In criminal court filings, King County prosecutors emphasized that Tsai’s ongoing pattern of voyeuristic behavior extended over roughly nine years, representing a persistent safety threat to the community. The civil lawsuit aims to hold the corporate entity financially responsible for failing to prevent that threat on its premises.
You may be eligible to join this class action lawsuit if you utilized any restroom facilities at The Pokémon Company International’s Bellevue, Washington headquarters at any time from 2017 through the present.
The proposed class action looks to represent a broad group of affected individuals, including:
Current and Former Employees: Staff members, contractors, and corporate personnel who worked at the Bellevue office location.
Visiting Members of the Public: Community members, fans, and event attendees who used the company’s building facilities.
Minors and Children: Young children and adolescents who attended hosted events or visited the Bellevue headquarters during the covered timeframe.
Because this litigation was recently filed, the court has not yet certified the class or established a monetary settlement fund. However, individuals who believe they were exposed to surveillance in the Bellevue office can take steps to document their presence and protect their legal rights.
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