Residents at Columbia apartment complex at center of privacy lawsuit claim they did not know of maintenance worker’s allegations
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Residents at a Columbia apartment complex at the center of an invasion of privacy lawsuit claim they were never notified about the employee it is centered around.
A “Jane Doe” filed the lawsuit in Boone County on Monday against Country Club Apartments and employee Juan Carlos Vazquez Martinez. The woman accuses the apartment and Vazquez Martinez of invasion of privacy, negligent infliction of emotional stress and an additional count of negligent training against Country Club Apartments.
Vazquez Martinez allegedly entered the woman’s apartment during a maintenance request while the woman was not home, rummaged through her dirty clothes hamper and sniffed her underwear. The woman – identified as a Jane Doe in the lawsuit – allegedly sent video of the incident to the apartment complex and police.
She was told Vazquez Martinez was put on leave, but saw him several times throughout the rest of the summer, according to court documents in previous reporting.
ABC 17 News went door-to-door at Country Club Apartments on Tuesday and spoke with five residents. Each person said management had not notified them about the allegations involving the complex’s maintenance supervisor.
Resident Savion Harris said he had not heard about the allegations before ABC 17 News spoke with him.
“But I had no idea, like, this was going on, so I… it would have been helpful if I got something in the mail or, you know, someone would have came around, told us about it,” Harris said.
Harris said the allegations also made him think about how residents can protect themselves and their belongings.
“Like, I have a camera on my door. I know a lot of people don’t have that, but I think that would help other people kind of get in that mindset of, like, maybe I do need a camera or something to protect myself and my belongings in my apartment,” Harris said.
He also said he wants clearer communication from management about employees’ access to apartments.
“And so I hope that the communication between us, and the, you know, the management here is a whole lot more clearer after this,” Harris said.
Another Country Club Apartments resident, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation, provided a statement to ABC 17 News.
“I do not think that any residents, but especially females, should have to be worried about employees trusted by the complex engaging in sexually deviant behaviors such as this. It is disgusting, disappointing and highly disturbing,” the resident said.
ABC 17 News reached out to Country Club Apartments and have not yet received a response.
The Columbia Police Department would not say whether there is an ongoing criminal investigation involving Vazquez Martinez.
