A dozen male California lifeguards have filed a civil lawsuit against their former supervisor, Kevin Pearsall, alleging he secretly filmed them in locker rooms while they were undressing. The lawsuit claims Pearsall, 59, used his position as the former California State Parks Superintendent to spy on employees and then shared intimate images.
Pearsall, who served as superintendent at Bolsa Chica State Beach from 2023 until July of last year, faces multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to eavesdropping and secretly filming. He retired after being placed on administrative leave and turned himself in on a $500,000 arrest warrant in June. His arraignment has been postponed to September 21.
The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, alleges a pattern of abuse and accuses the California Department of Parks and Recreation of knowing about Pearsall's alleged misconduct but failing to act. This is not the first civil case filed against Pearsall and the department; multiple victims have previously filed separate lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.
Legal troubles for Pearsall began last summer when a USB drive containing alleged explicit content was discovered in the men's locker room at the Bolsa Chica State Beach Lifeguard Headquarters. A California State Park officer reported the drive to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), which reportedly found audio and video content depicting nude individuals over an 11-month period. Prosecutors stated that the alleged victims were unaware they were being recorded.
According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Pearsall also allegedly distributed the content to two other men and made sexually charged comments about his employees. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer stated, "Instead of protecting his employees, Pearsall used his position to spy on the men who worked for him while they were in the place where they should have been the safest and then share those intimate images of his victims."
Attorneys representing the lifeguards expressed disappointment regarding the delays in Pearsall's arraignment. Mark Peacock, who represents seven of the lifeguards, noted that four of his clients are still minors. Bijan Darvish, representing 12 lifeguards in the new civil suit, emphasized the severity of the alleged privacy violation, stating, "These were employees who went to work, performed their jobs and entered a workplace locker room believing they had the most basic right to privacy. Instead, they allege they were secretly recorded while naked—and that some of those images were shared."
The California State Parks Department has stated that it takes the charges very seriously and is cooperating with law enforcement, affirming its commitment to a safe and respectful workplace. The department holds its employees to high ethical and professional standards, asserting that Pearsall's alleged actions do not reflect the values of its approximately 5,000 employees.