ROCHESTER, Mich. – A Rochester-area swim school is facing a lawsuit after a doctor who is now serving a lengthy prison sentence secretly recorded people, including children and parents, inside a changing room, according to the complaint.
The suit, filed April 29, alleges Dr. Oumair Aejaz repeatedly entered Goldfish Swim School’s Rochester location and used a hidden camera to record employees and customers undressing.
Attorneys for the plaintiff, Morgan Dean, say she contacted the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and later learned she and her son were among those recorded.
“Think about what you do on a daily basis, like going to the restroom or a changing room or any of these types of facilities,” Dean’s attorney, Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller, said. “Now all of that is triggered every time she enters one of these spaces.”
Dean is listed as a class representative in a class-action lawsuit accusing Goldfish Swim School of negligence and inadequate security in the community changing area.
The lawsuit claims the business lacked policies and procedures to screen who entered the facility, and that no employees were assigned to monitor traffic in and out of the changing rooms.
“We know that Goldfish didn’t have policies and procedures in place at all to check in people that were coming in and out of that facility, to make sure that they were there for legitimate purposes, to make sure that they should be in dressing rooms,” Esser-Weidenfeller said. “There were no dressing room monitors, no one monitoring that area.”
In a statement provided by her attorneys, Dean said she’s bringing the lawsuit to protect other families.
“Goldfish Swim had every opportunity to protect the families and children in its facilities, and it failed.
A man walked into a children’s swim school dozens of times with a hidden camera, and no one ever stopped him.
I’m bringing this case so that real changes are made to protect the families and children who walk through those doors every day.
I want other families to know that they are not alone.
I encourage any families who attended Goldfish Swim in Rochester with their children to reach out to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to find out if they were recorded.
Together, we can advocate to create lasting change for our children.”
Morgan Dean, plaintiff in lawsuit
Esser-Weidenfeller said investigators uncovered dozens of videos allegedly recorded at the swim school, estimating the number at roughly 60 to 100.
Aejaz was charged with secretly recording former patients and others, including minors, in multiple locations, including hospitals, private homes, and the swim school, and also faced an assault charge.
He pleaded no contest in October and was sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison.
Goldfish Swim School declined to comment when contacted by Local 4, citing pending litigation. The lawsuit demands a jury trial.
Attorneys for Dean urged anyone who believes they may have been recorded at the Rochester location to contact the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, saying they are seeking reforms not only locally but across all of Goldfish Swim School’s locations.
“Goldfish has 150 locations across the nation and in Canada, and we’re hoping to make sure there’s changes put in place at not just this Goldfish facility, but all of these types of swim facilities to prevent this from happening in the future,” Esser-Weidenfeller said.