Reality TV star awarded $175,000 payout after boss ‘hacked dozens of her nude photos’

A contestant from Naked and Afraid sued her real-life boss (Picture: Discovery Channel) A reality TV star has been awarded a $175,000 (£132,250) settlement after her boss allegedly hacked dozens of her nude photos and downloaded them. Danielle Beauchemin appeared on Naked and Afraid between 2014 and 2021. The survivalist show sends pairs of strangers out into extreme environments, where they must fend for themselves unclothed for 21 days. The American series began in 2013 and has long proven popular in the ratings, with Beauchemin also featuring in spin-offs Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing and Naked and Afraid: Shipwrecked. In January, she accused her former supervisor, Arthur True, of illegally accessing her Google Photos through her office computer and downloading naked images and videos of her taken during the programme. Her lawsuit accused True of accessing uncensored versions of the files linked to Beauchemin’s old phone. When shown on Discovery Channel, the content was blurred. Beauchemin, a former emergency management employee in Kennebec County, further alleged that other county officials retaliated against her after she reported True, as per Central Maine. Danielle Beauchemin appeared on several versions of Naked and Afraid (Picture: Courtesy Eve/Shutterstock) She said they created a hostile environment and withdrew accommodations made for her to bring her service dog, which she uses for mental health disabilities, to work. Beauchemin also claimed bosses belittled her, changed her duties, and wrongly blamed her for payment issues. At the time, Peter Marchesi, representing the county and several named defendants, called the allegations ‘an exercise in creative, sensationalist writing’. An internal investigation was reportedly launched, but Beauchemin never learnt the outcome. Beauchemin said in her 40-page complaint she discovered True’s hacking in April 2023, roughly four months after the county hired her. A probe found surveillance footage near Beauchemin’s office had been deleted. Two spy cameras were also delivered to the building along with a flashlight and placed above the ceiling in her office. True reportedly later admitted to downloading his subordinate’s nudes, as per the lawsuit. He would then plead not guilty to criminal charges of invasion of computer privacy and stalking. Beauchemin, who did not access the files herself via her work computer, eventually took unpaid medical leave, during which time her role was terminated. Nudity is blurred when aired on the programme (Picture: Courtesy Eve/Shutterstock) Beauchemin filed a lawsuit against her supervisor for hacking uncensored versions of images from the programme stored on her personal device (Picture: Courtesy Eve/Shutterstock) She said the fallout had long-term effects on her mental, emotional, and physical well-being. After she went to Augusta Police, True resigned the following day. Beauchemin was ultimately awarded $20,000 (£15,114) in lost wages and $84,595 (£63,929) in alleged damages for emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and injury to reputation. Her attorneys from law firm Johnson, Webbert & Beard received the remaining $70,405 (£53,206) for their services. Marchesi said the payment was made without an admission of liability from the county. The criminal case against True is still pending and is on the call list for January 2027. His defence attorney successfully argued for the case to be transferred out of Kennebec County, due to a potential conflict of interest, given where he worked. At their request, the case was moved to Lincoln County. Naked and Afraid has aired over 200 episodes across 19 seasons, with subsequent spin-offs including Naked and Afraid: Alone, Naked and Afraid of Love, and Naked and Afraid: Castaways. The format permits the participants to take one helpful item (like a knife or firestarter) out into the wilderness with them before they are left to hunt for food, find water, and build shelter. 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