The Pokémon Company International is facing a proposed class action lawsuit after a former engineering director was accused of placing hidden cameras in bathrooms at the company’s Bellevue, Washington, offices.
Ben Tsai, who previously served as a director of engineering at The Pokémon Company International, was arrested in July 2026. An anonymous former employee filed the lawsuit, alleging that the company failed to take reasonable steps to train and supervise Tsai or protect workers.
The lawsuit alleges that Tsai recorded women and children in the workplace bathrooms while they were undressed. It also claims that the conduct breached Washington’s anti-discrimination laws. The allegations have not been tested at trial.
Voyeurism case began after a camera was found
Tsai was first charged in January 2026 after a hidden camera was discovered inside a Starbucks bathroom. Tsai was charged with first-degree voyeurism. Charging documents allege that he watched the camera feed live on his phone while seated outside the bathroom.
Police say Tsai told them he had also installed cameras to monitor family members and inside grocery stores. Investigators later reported finding hundreds of videos involving adult nudity and child sexual abuse, including material Tsai allegedly recorded himself.
A January report states that Tsai told police he was “mainly curious about transgender people and was not attracted to children.” TMZ reported that Tsai claimed he had recorded footage fewer than 50 times since 2017. Authorities, however, say they found 89 videos recorded at the Pokémon offices. Four people identified in the material reportedly said they had not consented to being recorded.
Additional charges and company lawsuit
Tsai is being held at a correctional facility on $500,000 bail. His lawyers say he plans to plead not guilty to every charge. In addition to first-degree voyeurism, prosecutors have charged him with first-degree possession and dealing of material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, along with second-degree possession.
The civil lawsuit argues that The Pokémon Company International failed to provide adequate training and did not make “reasonable efforts” to control Tsai or safeguard employees. The case places workplace oversight and employee privacy at the centre of a legal dispute involving a major gaming brand.
For more reporting on the wider games business, explore RETROCADE’s arcade industry news. Readers researching gaming hardware can also consult the arcade machine buying guide or browse arcade cabinets.
Leave a Reply