A former Pokemon engineering director is facing a class-action lawsuit after hidden cameras were reportedly discovered in one of the bathrooms of The Pokemon Company’s US headquarters in Bellevue, Washington. The news about the former Pokemon executive came amid a busy time for The Pokemon Company, with several game and product releases coming down the pipeline.
Neither Nintendo nor Pokemon are strangers to litigation. After the Trump administration’s tariffs on various goods were tossed out by the US Supreme Court, Nintendo and other companies sought to reclaim the tariffs that were previously paid. In response, two Nintendo customers filed a lawsuit that claimed Nintendo was profiting on both the refunds and on Nintendo products that were marked up due to the tariffs. Nintendo has since refuted the tariff refund lawsuit, stating that customers had already received what they had bargained for. It is currently unclear if the tariff lawsuit against Nintendo will proceed.
Ex-Pokemon Director Facing Lawsuit Amid Voyeurism Charges
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Image via Pokemon -
Image via Game Freak -
Although Pokemon’s legal team has been tested throughout the years, the company is now under further legal scrutiny for the actions of a former executive. As reported by The Seattle Times, former Pokemon engineering executive Ben Tsai is facing a civil lawsuit from an anonymous plaintiff who accused him of allegedly placing hidden cameras in a bathroom at The Pokemon Company’s Bellevue headquarters. The lawsuit was filed with the King County Superior Court on Thursday, July 30, with the Pokemon Company listed as a defendant alongside the former staffer. Tsai, 45, was previously arrested and criminally charged with first-degree voyeurism in January 2026 after a hidden camera was uncovered in a Starbucks bathroom in Kirkland. The investigation further revealed that Tsai had also allegedly placed cameras inside a Safeway store in Kirkland, within his own home, and in a bathroom at Pokemon‘s Bellevue offices.
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Tsai was also criminally charged with dealing and possessing videos depicting child sexual abuse material and adult nudity that were uncovered by the Kirkland Police Department, some of which were alleged to be Tsai’s personal recordings. Through his attorney, Tsai has since pleaded not guilty to all counts. Tsai is currently being held on a $500,000 bond. The lawsuit against Tsai and The Pokemon Company seeks class-action status to represent women and girls who used the bathrooms at The Pokemon Company’s Bellevue office at any point from 2017 to July 25, 2026. The time period listed in the lawsuit is said to cover any possible timeframe that Tsai allegedly had access to the building.
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The lawsuit also claimed that The Pokemon Company was negligent in holding Tsai responsible for his actions and in protecting the plaintiff from harm. One of the plaintiff’s attorneys, Alex Dietz, said that The Pokemon Company needed to take steps to protect children. The Pokemon Company did not comment on the case, but acknowledged that Tsai was no longer employed by the company following his January arrest. It remains to be seen how the lawsuit against Tsai will proceed and what The Pokemon Company’s involvement will be.
This is not the first time that The Pokemon Company has been listed as a defendant in a lawsuit. In May 2026, a 34-year-old Iowa man named Kyle Owens sued The Pokemon Company after he was denied Pokemon Professor status following an exam and a background check. Pokemon‘s background check on Owens turned up an arrest warrant from another state concerning past misdemeanor charges.
Source: IGN
