A nursing manager who allegedly harassed employees and hid a camera in the women’s restroom kept his job because his employer thought he was a “nice guy” who was “close to retirement,” according to a class action lawsuit.
The suit, filed Wednesday in Cook County circuit court, claims that more than 75 women at a DaVita Dialysis center in north suburban Glenview had their privacy invaded by the center’s most senior manager, Michael Klusmeyer.
Klusmeyer, 62, was arrested last month after a female employee found a hidden camera in a restroom of the center at 2601 Compass Rd. He was charged with unlawful videotaping of another without consent, according to Glenview police and Cook County prosecutors.
The lawsuit alleges that Klusmeyer, a registered nurse who lives in Wauconda, repeatedly invaded the privacy of female employees over the course of two years after he was promoted to clinic manager.
Among his alleged misconduct, Klusmeyer placed a motion-activated camera in a single-occupancy women’s restroom to capture images of them undressing and using the restroom, the lawsuit states. The camera was hidden inside a key fob.
Klusmeyer allegedly targeted women by telling them to use the restroom for ostensible work-related reasons — such as trying on new scrubs, the lawsuit states.
After a female employee found the hidden camera key fob on July 23, women who worked at the center recalled seeing the same key fob in the restroom for about two years before it was discovered, the lawsuit states.
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Klusmeyer also allegedly harassed the women by sharing explicit videos and photos, and telling sexual or sexist jokes to the women he supervised, the lawsuit states.
The suit claims that Klusmeyer’s employers, DaVita and Satellite, were both aware of Klusmeyer’s conduct through reports made by women he worked with.
But he kept his job because “upper management liked Klusmeyer and expressed sympathy for him because he was purportedly a ‘nice guy’ close to retirement and did not want to see him ‘lose his job,’” the lawsuit states.
"We strive to create a safe, professional work environment for our teammates and take decisive steps when our standards are not met. We take these allegations seriously and will review any new information fully," DaVita spokeswoman Courtney Culpepper said in a statement.
"Once we were made aware of this issue, we immediately removed him from the center, investigated the situation and terminated him," the statement continued. "We will continue to support law enforcement’s efforts and provide support to our impacted teammates."
The lawsuit claims that DaVita and Satellite breached their legal obligation to ensure a safe work environment for the women who worked at the clinic. The suit seeks compensatory damages for the women affected.
Klusmeyer is due in Cook County court in Skokie on Thursday, according to county records.
