Twelve male lifeguards have sued their former boss, Kevin Pearsall, alleging he secretly filmed them undressing in locker rooms at Bolsa Chica State Beach in California. The civil claim, filed in Orange County Superior Court, follows criminal charges brought against Pearsall in June and accuses the state's Parks and Recreation department of knowing about his conduct but failing to act, potentially exposing the wider organisation to liability.

Pearsall, 59, served as California State Parks Superintendent from 2023 until he retired last July amid an investigation, and faces five felony eavesdropping counts, 23 misdemeanour counts of secret filming and three of unlawfully distributing recordings. The case emerged after a USB drive containing explicit footage was found in the men's locker room, with investigators alleging recordings spanned an 11-month period and that Pearsall shared the material with two other men. His arraignment has been postponed to 21 September; lawyers for the alleged victims, some of whom are minors, say the recordings may date back to 2019 and expect further lifeguards to come forward.