Overview
- An anonymous former employee filed a proposed class-action on Aug. 4 that accuses The Pokémon Company International of failing to protect workers and visitors who used its Bellevue office restrooms from 2017 through July 25, 2026.
- Police say investigators recovered hundreds of hidden-camera recordings from the company bathrooms, a Kirkland Starbucks and the suspect’s home, with folders labeled for Pokémon office footage and at least four identified people saying they did not consent to being recorded.
- Prosecutors charged former director of engineering Ben Tsai last month with first‑degree voyeurism and multiple counts tied to possession and dealing of sexually explicit material involving minors; his attorney says he will plead not guilty.
- Authorities say the probe began in October 2025 after a manager found a small camera under a Starbucks sink and traced that device to Tsai through security footage and a small credit‑card purchase.
- If certified, the suit would allow former employees and visitors to seek damages and press claims that the company failed in training, supervision and discrimination controls, and it may increase corporate legal and reputational exposure while criminal and civil cases continue.