Eric Sim, a former NASA engineer, filed a federal lawsuit this week that accuses the City of Houston, two Houston Police Department detectives, and several women of mounting a coordinated wave of false sexual assault allegations that he says destroyed his career. The complaint describes what Sim’s attorneys call a “weaponized” smear campaign and seeks damages for lost wages, emotional distress, and reputational harm.
What The Complaint Says
The 57-page complaint, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, lays out what it portrays as a year-long push to manufacture criminal charges against Sim. It alleges that detectives prepared affidavits even when witnesses’ accounts conflicted, withheld text messages, photos, and videos that his lawyers say were exculpatory, and returned digital copies with allegedly exonerating material deleted, according to FOX 26 Houston.
Who’s Named In The Suit
Sim is suing the City of Houston, two HPD detectives, and four women, accusing them of malicious prosecution and civil conspiracy. The lawsuit claims that in May 2022 one woman became a “self-proclaimed ring leader,” launching a group chat to drive what it calls false reports. It cites text messages and video that his attorneys argue show the encounters were consensual. His civil counsel, Kimberly Lau, filed the complaint and is asking for a jury trial, according to KPRC Click2Houston.
The Criminal Case And Its Outcome
Authorities arrested Sim in February 2024, and he faced multiple sexual assault counts that prosecutors later said they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt. He was placed under strict bond conditions, including GPS monitoring, and was suspended from his job at NASA before ultimately resigning. All charges were dismissed on February 25, 2025, court records show, and Sim’s lawsuit says the criminal process irreparably harmed his career and reputation, per the Houston Chronicle.
Evidence From The Investigation
Investigators reportedly seized terabytes of data, including an external hard drive with a folder labeled “sex tapes” and an Excel spreadsheet listing 437 women, according to reporting on a search warrant. The affidavit stated that some videos might have been recorded with a camera hidden in eyeglass frames, and police confiscated multiple pairs of sunglasses for analysis. Several women told detectives they had not consented to being recorded, according to ABC13.
What Sim Wants And What Comes Next
The federal complaint asks for compensatory and punitive damages for reputational harm, emotional distress, lost earnings, and attorneys’ fees. Sim, in a statement quoted by his lawyers, said the past years have “scarred” him and that he hopes the case will hold those he considers responsible to account. The City of Houston and HPD were asked for comment, and future filings in the federal case will determine the next procedural steps as the parties exchange pleadings, according to KPRC Click2Houston.
