'I am traumatized': Hidden camera 'pointed directly at the toilet' in chiropractor's office leads to arrest and even more disturbing claims in lawsuit

Left inset: Nicholas Vanderhyde (KTLA). Center: the hidden camera (KTLA).

More than two months after an employee found a hidden camera “ pointed directly at the toilet ” in a chiropractor’s office bathroom in Valencia, California , a lawsuit has been filed by 17 patients, some of them children, who say the doctor alleged to be the culprit sexually battered and harassed patients and staff, invaded their privacy, and was negligently hired and supervised.

The lawsuit , filed by the firm Ikuta Hemesath LLP on Tuesday against 40-year-old Nicholas Vanderhyde and his former employer The Joint Chiropractic in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that the defendant “purposely, strategically, and clandestinely placed” the hidden camera in the bathroom to “record patients, including young children, in states of undress,” a camera that was discovered in early May.

According to the complaint, defendants “were put on notice as early as 2023, if not earlier, that Defendant Dr. Vanderhyde behaved inappropriately during chiropractic treatment of THE JOINT and his patients” and that he “sexually harassed female employees at THE JOINT and engaged in stalking of their social media profiles,” but yet he continued treating patients without “proper supervision,” allegedly committed sexual battery offenses, and in one instance allegedly harassed a patient by comparing her body to his wife’s.

“THE JOINT knew that Dr. Vanderhyde’s behavior toward his patients and treatment protocols were outside of the general practices of a chiropractor, yet Dr. Vanderhyde was permitted to continue treating patients in his rogue fashion, including insisting on upper, inner thigh massage touching at least one patient’s vagina, while posing such treatment as relief of the pinched nerve he alleged was the root of her numbness in her hips and leg, which was untrue,” the suit said. “At least one other patient experienced sexually harassing comments about her body, as well as comments comparing her body to that of Dr. Vanderhyde’s wife, and endured such comments over the course of several office visits.”

The lawsuit further claimed that Vanderhyde engaged in “harmful and offensive sexual contact” against multiple patients, both women and men.

Lead plaintiff Alexandra F., a healthcare practitioner, the mother of a girl and boy identified as Jane Doe 7 and John Doe 7, and the wife of John Doe 1 in the complaint, said she was “in shock” when she learned of the “disgusting violation.” She recalled Vanderhyde “high five-ing my kids, patting them on the back, and letting them try out some of the instruments there to see how they worked.”

The hidden camera setup (exhibits in documents).

“Knowing what I know now, I am traumatized by the disgusting violation committed against the many people and families (including my own) that went to this clinic. I am here speaking out today to ensure justice is served and to prevent this from happening to any other individuals or families in the future,” she said.

Alexandra said that she reached out to The Joint Chiropractic individually after learning from a “mass email” that there was some “unfortunate, and delicate, news” about the hidden camera possibly affecting 20 people from May 6 to May 8, when she and her 7-year-old daughter were there and used the bathroom. The mother said she never received a response.

“After learning about this awful criminal act, I have endured panic attacks at other healthcare offices, and I often feel incredibly vulnerable, searching rooms for any hidden cameras. I don’t know how I will ever be able to trust a practitioner again,” she said. “I did not hear anything from The Joint Chiropractic until June 12th in a mass email that downplayed the fact that there was an arrest and allegations of this perpetrator that involved images of children – potentially my own. I promptly reached out to The Joint Chiropractic’s patient relations team that day for help and more information, as I was there one of the days the camera was allegedly in the bathroom. To this day, they have still not responded to me.”

Los Angeles County Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime say that Vanderhyde, standing at 6’6″ and weighing 275 pounds, was booked on the morning of June 4 in a felony case and released on $5,000 bail later that night.

The Sacramento Bee reported that he was suspected of unlawfully possessing obscene matter knowingly depicting a minor engaging in or simulating sexual conduct.

“Every person who knowingly possesses or controls any matter, representation of information, data, or image, including, but not limited to, any film, filmstrip, photograph, negative, slide, photocopy, videotape, video laser disc, computer hardware, computer software, computer floppy disc, data storage media, CD-ROM, or computer-generated equipment or any other computer-generated image that contains or incorporates in any manner, any film or filmstrip, the production of which involves the use of a person under 18 years of age, knowing that the matter depicts a person under 18 years of age personally engaging in or simulating sexual conduct,” the statute says , “is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison, or a county jail for up to one year, or by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or by both the fine and imprisonment.”

Reports also said, however, that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office hasn’t formally filed charges against Vanderhyde as of Thursday.

When Law&Crime reached out the DA’s office to inquire about the status of the case, we were told “a case is under review.”

An unidentified Joint Chiropractic employee who previously went on CW affiliate KTLA’s broadcast to talk about the discovery of the hidden camera said “it was pointed directly at the toilet, so they definitely were aiming to record people using the bathroom, people’s private parts, all of that.”

In response to the lawsuit, The Joint Chiropractic reportedly told local ABC affiliate KABC that it was not “at liberty to discuss ongoing legal matters,” but that the “safety of our patients and staff, and the integrity of the service we provide, are always our highest priorities.”

A spokeswoman reportedly told the Sacramento Bee, however, that the practice “acted immediately” after learning of the camera, opened an internal investigation, and “cooperated fully with law enforcement.”

The reported statement added that Vanderhyde had been employed on a part-time basis but has since been fired. It’s not immediately clear if he has an attorney.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Janna Trolia said this is a case of an “egregious” betrayal of patients “from beginning to end.”

“First, the long period of sexual abuse and harassment by Dr. Vanderhyde was allowed to continue while The Joint turned a blind eye to his practices that differed from all other chiropractic care providers at The Joint and from chiropractic practice generally,” Trolia told Law&Crime. “The doctor’s unchecked, rogue behavior not surprisingly escalated to the point where he felt confident to place a hidden camera. Then, once the abuse was no longer secret, The Joint’s failure to respond has only intensified our clients’ fears and concerns.”

The post ‘I am traumatized’: Hidden camera ‘pointed directly at the toilet’ in chiropractor’s office leads to arrest and even more disturbing claims in lawsuit first appeared on Law & Crime .