A new class action lawsuit has accused Cook County sheriff’s deputies of spying on inmates while they used the bathroom in holding cells.

This class action lawsuit against the county and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart involves tens of thousands of men and women who were detained in holding cells in every Cook County courthouse.

The lawsuit states “pretrial detainees retain an expectation of privacy in their naked bodies, genitals, and bodily functions.”

Attorney Tom Zimmerman said the cameras are monitored in real time by male and female sheriff’s police and kept for 30 days.

Chief policy officer for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Cara Smith, released a statement saying:

“We vehemently deny the allegations that there are hidden or secret cameras focused on detainees’ private parts or the toilet areas of holding cells. Fixed cameras are present in the holding cells in courthouses as a critical tool to ensure the safety of staff, the safety of detainees and transparency of our operations.”

Smith also called the allegation outrageous. The complaint was filed in federal court on Wednesday.

Read more at WGN-TV.