Iowa Judge Says Hidden Restroom Camera Case Can Proceed to Trial

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An Iowa judge has sent a case involving an insurance agent accused of installing a hidden camera in a restroom to trial.

The attorney for Robert Speirs had asked the court to throw out a charge of misdemeanor invasion of privacy. An employee noticed a wireless camera in the women’s room at the American Family Insurance office on La Porte Road in December. According to court records, police found a monitor and receiver in Speirs’ desk.

No evidence was found that photographs or videos were made. State law does not prohibit an attempt to view, photograph or film someone in a state of nudity without their knowledge where they have an expectation of privacy.

However, District Associate Judge James Coil noted that Speirs had the capability to view people through the camera, and that any question about whether he had viewed people a state of undress would have to be addressed by a jury during trial.

Coil overruled the defense’s motion to dismiss the case, and a June trial date was set