Women file class-action lawsuit over SF jail strip searches

SAN FRANCISCO - Twenty women who say they were subjected to degrading strip searches as San Francisco jail inmates while male deputies were nearby — filed a civil rights lawsuit Friday, a year after the incident.

"This morning, my firm filed a federal class-action lawsuit," attorney Elizabeth Bertolino said outside the jail to cheers from supporters of the plaintiffs.

The allegations include "unequal protection and the illegal strip searches, amongst other claims. This isn’t going away," Bertolino said.

"Stop the abuse! Stop the abuse!" the crowd chanted at a rally.

Male deputies within view of strip searches, suit says

What they're saying:

The suit says deputies, including men, corralled female inmates in the jail near 7th and Bryant streets and forced them to strip naked and expose themselves in May 2025. The women say the male deputies knew what was happening and did not look away.

"These women were incredibly courageous, inside a place that usually silences people – they spoke up," said San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office represented a number of plaintiffs in criminal court. 

The suit says a sergeant told a female deputy not to turn off her body-worn camera during the searches because the footage could be used "for training purposes."

 The suit names San Francisco, the sheriff’s office, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto and five sworn members.

Sheriff's office responds

What they're saying:

The sheriff’s office said Friday the incident remains under administrative review and that their investigation showed women were searched by female deputies in single stalls.

"As previously stated, male deputies did not strip search female inmates at County Jail 2," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "The female inmates who were strip-searched were searched individually in a private setting."

Taylor Ross, one of the plaintiffs, says she was jailed for evading and says she was strip-searched while pregnant.

"No privacy, like everything is like you’re in our house and you’re going to do what we want you to do, and you can’t say anything about that," Ross said. "And today — we can today.

Community advocate Katie Dixon said, "This is an epidemic of state-sanctioned sexual violence. "Our demand for accountability will ring all the way from City Hall, all the way through Washington. We will not stop until it stops."

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan