Lawsuit: Fitness club owner in Annandale used secret camera to view woman undressing in tanning booth

A woman is alleging in a lawsuit that a fitness center operator in Wright County watched her several times with a secret camera as she undressed in the facility's tanning booth.

The personal injury suit, filed in District Court last week, says that franchisee Randall D. Roiger installed the surveillance camera in the booth of his Snap Fitness in Annandale and watched the woman as she "repeatedly removed her clothing … without knowing she was being viewed."

The woman noticed the camera while in the booth on Jan. 18, 2019, and notified police. Roiger was subsequently charged with interference with privacy, a gross misdemeanor.

The criminal complaint alleged that Roiger watched "to make sure the individuals had purchased tanning booth minutes and quit watching once that was confirmed or when people started undressing."

And while Roiger "agreed use of the camera was an invasion of privacy," the complaint continued, he has pleaded not guilty ahead of a tentative trial in March.

Reached for comment Monday, Roiger said the camera "has been down for over a year." He declined to say more.

Along with Roiger, 45, of Cokato, Minn., and his business, the lawsuit names as a defendant Chanhassen-based Snap Fitness, which has more than 2,000 clubs in 48 states and 26 countries.

In a written response to the woman, the defendants' attorneys said the suit should be dismissed and denied that Roiger viewed her while she was in the tanning booth.

The 42-year-old woman's attorney, Lori Peterson, conceded that her client "didn't personally see him viewing her naked, but 2 plus 2 equals 4. By the time she saw [the camera], it had apparently been there for weeks. … The camera was clearly put there to view people as they undressed."

The defense's response did acknowledge that Roiger installed the camera in the corner of the booth's ceiling behind a pinhole and went on to say his "actions were lawful and designed to prevent theft and/or unauthorized use" of the booth.

"I am completely disgusted by Snap Fitness' response," Peterson said. "To not only deny responsibility but to actively endorse spying on unclothed members and victim-blaming a woman who was spied on in the tanning booth is reprehensible."

The woman's suit also alleges that the club failed to "inform or warn … that she was subject to surveillance inside the tanning booth."

Defense attorneys countered that patrons were given sufficient warning that "video surveillance is in use throughout the club, including a sign near the entrance to the tanning booth."

Peterson said none of the signs warned of video surveillance specifically inside tanning booths.

The suit seeks at least $50,000 in damages and contends the woman continues to suffer from numerous emotional and physical problems including "loss of dignity, fear of public bathrooms … embarrassment [and] feelings of paranoia."

The woman identifies herself in the suit. The Star Tribune generally does not identify victims of sexually related allegations.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482