Former civil servant accused of hiding recording device

A lawsuit has been filed against Marion County and one of its former top officials seeking $1 million in damages over the officer’s alleged attempts to secretly film a married couple in their hotel room.

Mount Dora attorney Anthony F. Sabatini filed a five-page complaint July 1 on behalf of plaintiffs Ashley Greene, Patrick Kirkowski and Danielle Anderson. The defendants are Kyle Drummer, the county’s former public safety communications director, and the Marion County government.

Kirkowski and Greene are married. Anderson and Kirkowski are employed by the county. At the time of the incident, Anderson and Kirkowski were working in the Department of Public Safety under Drummer’s supervision.

What happened in the hotel room?

According to the complaint, on April 14, Kirkowski and Anderson traveled to National Harbor, Maryland, to attend a public safety conference for telecommunications workers and dispatchers. Greene accompanied her husband. Drummer also attended the conference.

Everyone stayed at the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel, and the plaintiffs received their room keys from Drummer, who handled check-ins at the hotel, the suit says.

On April 18, several days into the trip, Kirkowski and Greene were in their hotel room around 2 a.m. when they discovered a video recording device hidden behind a picture frame on the wall across from their bed, the lawsuit says.

They removed the device and viewed the recorded footage, which shows Drummer placing the device and hiding it, according to the complaint.

Anderson is named as a plaintiff because at one point she was in the couple’s hotel room and was also “videotaped on a hidden device,” the suit says.

Seeking $1 million in damages

The lawsuit alleges invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of severe emotional distress and negligence in hiring or retention.

The plaintiffs suffered damages, according to the complaint. Drummer’s actions are described as “highly offensive and an unreasonable intrusion.”

“Defendant Drummer knew or should have known that his actions would likely cause emotional distress. Defendant Drummer’s conduct was outrageous, beyond all bounds of decency, atrocious, and totally intolerable in a civilized community. Defendant Drummer’s actions caused Plaintiffs severe emotional distress,” the lawsuit says.

For the county, the lawsuit states that Drummer’s “acts occurred within the course, time and scope of the performance of Defendant Drummer’s duties. The acts occurred during a work conference attended by Defendant and Plaintiffs as part of their employment obligations.”

“Plaintiffs were in an area of risk that was reasonably foreseeable to Defendant Marion County. Defendant Marion County failed to properly supervise Defendant Drummer. Defendant Drummer used his supervisory authority to obtain a key to Plaintiffs’ hotel room in order to enter and place the hidden recording device,” the lawsuit alleges.

The plaintiffs are seeking $1 million in damages.

County officials told a Star Banner reporter that Drummer was hired on Feb. 13, 2012, and his separation date is April 25, 2024.

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County officials said the reason given for his departure was his resignation. At the time of his departure, his annual salary was $124,696.

“This case is currently before the courts. To ensure the integrity of the case for all involved, we will not discuss details until a final decision has been made,” county officials said in a statement to the Star Banner.

Contact Austin L. Miller at [email protected]