Employees suing over bathroom surveillance

UPI
Thursday November 15, 2007

Kroger Co. is being sued by its employees for allegedly putting the bathroom of one of its U.S. grocery distribution centers under hidden video surveillance.

A total of 138 current and former employees in Kentucky and Indiana allege in their lawsuit filed in Jefferson (Ky.) Circuit Court, that using hidden video equipment at the Kroger distribution center in Louisville violated their privacy and harmed them, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal said Wednesday.

The supermarket chain employees allege the surveillance equipment was placed in the men's restroom without their knowledge and that they didn't discover the camera until Nov. 11, 2006.

No reason was given for the camera's alleged presence in the men's bathroom.

They are seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the company and co-defendants, center manager Oscar Fussenegger and Zenith Logistics. They asked for an immediate jury trial.

Zenith Logistics is one of the companies that runs the Louisville center for Kroger Co.

Kroger spokesman Tim McGurk would only say that the employees' lawsuit was "without merit," the newspaper reported.