HIGHLAND PARK, Texas — A new lawsuit accuses a security guard who worked at a high-end watch shop in Highland Park Village of secretly recording women using the restroom.
"I was shocked," attorney Arnold Shokouhi told WFAA.
Shokouhi of McCathern Shokouhi & Evans law firm represents two women who work at luxury watch retailer Vacheron Constantin in Highland Park Village. His clients have filed a lawsuit alleging a security guard who also worked at Vacheron, a man named Ronnie Smith, installed hidden video cameras to secretly record employees and customers while they used the restroom inside Vacheron and the Highland Park Village Starbucks.
Their lawsuit claims more than 25 video and audio recordings were recovered.
"I can’t think of a more private moment for anyone than being in a restroom using the bathroom, and to know someone was recording them," Shokouhi said. "God knows what he was doing with those videos, if he was showing it to people, if he posted it, if he sold it, you don’t know."
Shokouhi says his two clients are mortified and traumatized. They’re suing Smith now in civil court, but smith was also criminally charged for the alleged recordings. In February Highland Park DPS arrested Smith on four counts of invasive visual recording, and one count of tampering with evidence.
"We have to make sure it doesn’t happen to another set of people again," Shokouhi said.
Shokouhi's clients believe the security company who put Smith in Highland Park Village in the first place should be held responsible too. They’re also suing 'St. Moritz Security,' alleging the contractor hired Smith despite evidence he had a prior criminal history involving drugs and domestic violence.
"St. Mortiz owed a duty to make sure the patrons and employees of Vacheron were being protected, and they weren’t," Shokouhi said.
An attorney for St. Mortiz told WFAA Sunday night they’re aware of the lawsuit, but because of pending litigation, won’t comment any further. Meanwhile Highland Park DPS says Smith could face additional charges if more victims are identified. Smith remains in jail in Fort Worth, on an unrelated domestic violence charge.
Highland Park Village shared the following statement with WFAA:
"The safety and well-being of guests visiting Highland Park Village is our utmost priority. Highland Park Village does not have any contractual or other relationship with the security office or security company alleged to be involved. The allegations made by the lawyers did not occur in Highland Park Village public restrooms but in those of the tenants’ own space and were under the exclusive control of those tenants at the time of the alleged incident. When the security team at Highland Park Village received notification of the alleged incident, they responded promptly by immediately notifying the Highland Park Police Department who took over the investigation."