A Naked and Afraid cast member who accused her former supervisor of viewing and downloading dozens of nude photos and videos of her has received a $175,000 settlement.
Danielle Beauchemin alleged that Arthur True accessed her private Google Photos account through a workplace computer and obtained intimate images and videos recorded during her appearances on the reality series.
Beauchemin, a former emergency management employee for Kennebec County, Maine, also claimed county officials retaliated against her after she reported True. She filed a federal lawsuit against the county in December.
Kennebec County’s publicly funded insurer paid $20,000 in lost wages and $84,595 in alleged damages to resolve the case, according to CentralMaine. The remaining $70,405 went to Beauchemin’s attorneys.
According to the lawsuit, an administrative investigation found that surveillance footage near Beauchemin’s office had been erased. The complaint also alleged that two spy cameras were delivered to the building and that tools and a flashlight were placed in the ceiling above her office.
Beauchemin further alleged that county officials withdrew permission for her service dog to accompany her at work, mocked or belittled her, altered her responsibilities and ultimately fired her while she was on unpaid medical leave.
She said the alleged conduct caused lasting harm to her mental, emotional and physical health.
True faces criminal charges of stalking and invasion of computer privacy and has pleaded not guilty. His criminal case is still pending.
Naked and Afraid cast member Danielle Beauchemin received $175,000 from Kennebec County’s publicly funded insurer after accusing her supervisor of downloading nude photos of her
Former supervisor Arthur True is also charged with stalking and invasion of computer privacy. He has pleaded not guilty
Beauchemin said she learned in April 2023—about four months after joining the county—that True had accessed her private, intimate photos.
She alleged that True viewed and downloaded the files and later acknowledged doing so during an interview with law enforcement.
The complaint said the photos and videos were connected to Beauchemin’s Google account on her work computer through an old personal cellphone.
Beauchemin also claimed county human resources personnel appeared to downplay the matter when she brought it to their attention.
True resigned as the county’s emergency management director the following day, according to the lawsuit.
The legal filing said Beauchemin reported the alleged conduct to police in Augusta, Maine.
The settlement was finalized August 16, while the Maine County Commissioners Association Self-Funded Risk Management Pool issued the payments September 29, according to the outlet.
The case was formally closed October 16 in the U.S. District Court in Bangor.
Beauchemin said her supervisor used her office computer to access her private Google Photos account and view explicit images and videos from the show
According to IMDb, Beauchemin appeared in three Naked and Afraid episodes between 2014 and 2021
Peter Marchesi, the attorney representing the county, emphasized that the settlement included language stating that it was reached without any admission of liability.
When Beauchemin filed the lawsuit, Marchesi described her allegations as “an exercise in creative, sensationalist writing” that bore “little relation to the true facts surrounding the events at issue.”
The agreement prohibits both sides from making disparaging statements about one another. It also requires the parties to say only that Beauchemin left her county job under mutually acceptable terms, according to the outlet.
Naked and Afraid is a Discovery Channel survival series in which contestants attempt to endure in the wilderness without clothing, food, water or other supplies.
IMDb lists Beauchemin as appearing in three episodes of the show between 2014 and 2021.
She has also appeared in nearly 20 episodes across the franchise’s spin-off series.
True allegedly stepped down as Kennebec County’s emergency management director one day after Beauchemin reported him to police
True has been charged with stalking, criminal invasion of computer privacy and aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy over the alleged acquisition of Beauchemin’s explicit photos and videos.
He entered not-guilty pleas to all three charges in July 2024, according to CentralMaine.
During a court hearing, True’s attorney, Darrick Banda, indicated that discussions with prosecutors about a possible plea had taken place.
In March, the criminal proceedings were transferred out of Kennebec County after Banda argued that True’s former position could create a conflict of interest.
The case is now being handled in Lincoln County and is scheduled for a docket call in January.
The Daily Mail has contacted the county’s attorney, Marchesi, as well as Beauchemin’s lawyers—Braden Beard, Kassandra Fotiadis and Ryan Schmitz—for comment.