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A former Forever 21 employee is suing the company for negligence and invasion of privacy after video footage of her using the staff restroom at the Providence, Rhode Island, store where she worked made its way onto porn websites. According to the complaint filed on Tuesday, “Jane Doe” is seeking at least $2 million for “extreme emotional damages and attendant physical damages.”
This store’s employee locker room was not outfitted with any security features, making it difficult for the company to argue that the camera in the single-stall restroom was installed to prevent theft. The plaintiff, who was a student at Providence College at the time of the incident, doesn’t know who placed the camera in the restroom, but her suit holds Forever 21 responsible, regardless of whether management knew about its existence.
Needless to say, this is a departure from the copyright infringement lawsuits that are more commonly lobbed at Forever 21. We’ll see how this one turns out.
Update: A rep for Forever 21 provided the following statement to Racked.
“Per our company policy, we are unable to comment on pending litigation, however we want to make it clear that Forever 21 takes the privacy of our team members extremely seriously. We have zero tolerance for any type of inappropriate behavior, and we are committed to making Forever 21 a safe space for all employees, without exception. We have been actively investigating this matter, which has involved law enforcement, our legal team, and national investigation teams. We are committed to our employees and will continue to search out those responsible for this heinous act.”