A chiropractor has been arrested in California, United States of America after a hidden camera was allegedly found in his clinic’s bathroom.
Nicholas Vanderhyde, 40, faces criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits from several families who claim to have been impacted.
Vanderhyde was formally arrested in June following an investigation into the accusation of spying on people in various states of undress in his Santa Clarita, California, clinic’s toilet.
A criminal complaint against him indicated that he was arrested on a charge of possession of child pornography, according to Eyewitness News.
Now, 11 families have filed a lawsuit against him and the Joint Chiropractic clinic, they said at a press conference, Eyewitness News reported.
Trouble started for Vanderhyde on May 8 when his employee allegedly found a camera secretly taped to a cabinet and connected to a power bank in the toilet.
The employee told Eyewitness News that she discovered the camera when she went to retrieve her phone, which was on the cabinet after she was done using the toilet.
According to her, the device was pointed at the toilet to capture people’s private parts.
Last Monday, July 29, 17 people claiming to be former patients, including four minors, filed a lawsuit against Vanderhyde, claiming he violated their privacy by strategically and secretly placing a camera in the toilet to watch people including children in states of undress.
The complainants said the clinic failed to assist them in determining if their nude or partially nude body was retained on Dr. Vanderhyde’s technology devices or distributed.
The lawsuit also alleged that Dr. Vanderhyde was permitted to continue treating patients in an unusual fashion, including insisting on upper, inner thigh massage touching at least one patient’s vagina.
