US Employee Sues Over ‘Hidden Camera’ Aimed at Her Office Desk

A woman has sued her U.S. employer, alleging that the company aimed a hidden camera at her office desk to monitor her work.

Amanda Glenn, a former supervisor for the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts, has filed a lawsuit against the agency based in Jackson Township, New Jersey — accusing it of unlawful surveillance and privacy violations after she discovered a concealed Ring camera aimed at her desk.

According to a report by local news outlet NJ.com, Glenn discovered the hidden surveillance camera at her desk in October 2023 after a colleague informed her about the device.

According to court documents viewed by the news publication, Glenn alleges that the Ring camera had been camouflaged with tape and positioned in the shared office space to monitor her work.

In her lawsuit filed in state court on September 27, Glenn claims that the camera was first secretly placed behind a computer before being moved to a higher position on a cabinet, where it was directed at her desk and that of a colleague.

Glenn claims that she had no prior knowledge of the device and never consented to being surveilled by her employer, asserting the intrusion violated her right to privacy.

‘Intrusive and Inappropriate’

According to Glenn’s lawsuit, upper managers at the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts allegedly justified the camera’s installation as a security measure to monitor individuals attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings in the office. However, the court documents say that video recording of AA members at a meeting is illegal.

Glenn says that placing the camera in her workspace — where she managed both sensitive work-related and personal tasks — was both intrusive and inappropriate.

Although the court documents do not specify who installed the device, Glenn alleges it was deliberately positioned to monitor her and her actions, violating New Jersey’s laws against illegal surveillance.

Certain members of the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts “secretly installed a hidden and disguised camera to monitor (Glenn), another staff member, and a third party,” the lawsuit claims.

According to NJ.com, when Glenn complained about the camera and other concerns regarding workplace behavior, the board restricted her remote work privileges, reduced her hours, and publicly criticized her in emails to staff.

Glenn’s lawsuit seeks damages for emotional distress, lost wages, and punitive compensation, claiming that the tree board’s actions and the hidden surveillance camera created a hostile work environment and ultimately forced her to resign in December 2023.

NJ.com reports that no one was available at the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts to comment on the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office also tells the news outlet that the state has no comment on the matter.

In 2022, PetaPixel reported on a Dutch court which ruled that a U.S.-based software company had violated an employee’s human rights after it forced him to keep his webcam on while working.

 
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.