News Notes: Court Gives Green Light To Privacy Suit Over Hidden Cameras

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has given employees at Consolidated Freightways’ Mira Loma terminal the go-ahead to sue their employer under state law for invasion of privacy after video cameras were discovered hidden behind two-way mirrors in men’s and women’s restrooms. The company argued that the case should be thrown out because a determination of employees’ reasonable expectations of privacy required interpretation of collective bargaining agreements, which are governed by federal law. But the court found that the workers could bring their privacy complaints under state law, regardless of the CBA’s terms. Covert videotaping from behind a two-way mirror is a misdemeanor in California.