Lifeguard's suit against boss who filmed locker room hints at even more wrongdoing
The same day Orange County prosecutors announced charges against a former state parks superintendent who allegedly recorded lifeguards changing in a men's locker room and shared the images with friends, an attorney for one of the victims is speaking out.
Los Angeles trial lawyer Ron Zambrino shared Wednesday the details of a lawsuit filed by an unnamed employee against Kevin Pearsall, who oversaw California State Parks' Coastal District 5 from 2023 to 2025, and the department itself, claiming Pearsall's recordings constituted harassment and created a hostile work environment.
It was a devastating shock to him on many levels," Zambrino said of his client, an Orange County resident in his 20s, one of 23 victims identified so far.
Filed in Orange County Superior Court on Tuesday - the day that 59-year-old Pearsall, a Long Beach resident, turned himself in to authorities and was released on his own recognizance - the complaint sheds light on allegations involving the superintendent, including rumors about questionable financial dealings in the department.
Identified in the complaint as "John Doe," the plaintiff began working as a seasonal lifeguard at Crystal Cove State Park in 2018 and was later hired as a full-time state park peace officer reporting to Bolsa Chica State Beach headquarters.
That's where Pearsall is believed to have covertly installed video-recording devices that captured footage of numerous lifeguard employees, including John Doe, in states of undress. Prosecutors claim the superintendent, whose LinkedIn profile states he retired in September 2025, disseminated those materials with friends.
Prosecutors further contend the criminally obtained videos, seized during the execution of a search warrant in July 2025, were recorded during an 11-month period beginning in August 2024, though Tuesday's lawsuit indicates recordings could date back to 2019.
"In reviewing what they recovered, it became apparent there were certain folks Pearsall apparently liked to have pictures of - my client was one of them," Zambrino told the Daily Pilot. "He will be dealing with the ramifications and the impacts of this for the rest of his life. It's a betrayal from a boss and someone he thought of as a mentor."
The suit describes how law enforcement authorities executed a search warrant to the Bolsa Chica lifeguard headquarters building on Pacific Coast Highway in July 2025, employing the use of electronic device-sniffing dogs but saying little to employees at the time.
Some believed the search may have been related to "previous investigations" involving the superintendent, according to the lawsuit.
"Plaintiffs and others were given no explanation for the warrant, but - based on Pearsall's prior reputation - they immediately assumed the operation related to 'embezzlement' rather than some other misconduct," the complaint reads.
Zambrino said rumors had circulated about the superintendent possibly involving himself in contracts with vendors who do business on the beach, but stated he did not know whether such claims may have been the subject of an official investigation.
John Doe reportedly remained unaware about the nature of the July 2025 search warrant until January 2026, when he was informed by sheriff's department officials he'd been identified as one of an initial 12 victims.
"They were in the dark about what was being looked at," the attorney said. "They knew it was Pearsall and they connected the dots, but they didn't know what he was doing or the extent of what he was doing."
The lawsuit describes a "back lockers" section of the changing area Pearsall "seemingly encouraged Plaintiff and other peace officers to use for 'privacy,' thereby driving them into the cameras' field of view.
It alleges more than 2 million digital images dating as far back as 2019 may have been recorded and states that youth aides and seasonal lifeguards as young as 15 regularly use the locker room to change clothes, shower and store gear.
Zambrino's client seeks compensation for special damages, including but not limited to lost wages and benefits, as well as general damages relating to the plaintiff's emotional distress, punitive damages against Pearsall and legal fees.
While the former superintendent is scheduled to appear in court for an Aug. 6 arraignment hearing, no official court date has yet been set for any civil proceedings.
This story originally appeared in Daily Pilot.
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