A Williamson County woman sued Nordstrom Rack, alleging a store employee was negligent in handling a man who followed her and took pictures up her skirt while she shopped.
Police charged Houman Shirinouei with unlawful photographing in violation of privacy, which is a class A misdemeanor.
According to a lawsuit filed in Williamson County Circuit Court, Shirinouei photographed a female named as Jane Doe, who was 19 at the time of the incident. Doe was shopping in the junior section whens he notied Shirinouei following her.
The lawsuit alleges that's when a Nordstrom loss prevention associate approached the girl, but did not identify who he worked for.
"He came to my client, talked to her, and told her, this individual had been reported doing these types of things," said attorney Jason Lee, who is representing Doe. "She thought he was a police officer. He flashed a badge to her."
Lee said the employee then told Doe he would "be right back" and left her.
"He left her for 10 to 15 minutes," Lee said. "We don’t know exactly where he was, but we believe he was in the video room."
While Doe stood there, Shirinouei approached her, squatted down, and took pictures up her dress. That's when Doe called police herself, who sent an officer.
"They should have removed him immediately from the building. They should’ve taken action against him, and called the police," Lee said. "If there were prior reports, they should’ve reported him to the police as well."
Doe is seeking $1.5 million from Nordstrom Inc., $1.5 million from Nordstrom Rack, and $4 million from Shirinouei.
