Without a single doubt, the stalker situation can be super creepy for anybody, especially if you’re a female and somebody is constantly stalking you wherever you go. And this whole thing can turn your life upside down if you’re an already famous personality and the stalker shares some obscene content or a recording of you in public. Well, to many of you, that might sound like a very specific situation, and we’re referring to that because that is pretty much what happened with Erin Andrews. And sure enough, when this thing blew up in popularity, Erin had to file the lawsuit, and she finally won that as well. So if you aren’t familiar with the details of this Erin Andrews lawsuit, then just keep on reading.
How It All Started: A Stay That Went Horribly Wrong
Back in September 2008, Erin stayed at a Marriott hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. She was there on a business trip and was simply doing her usual reporting job. However, she was unaware that a stalker had prearranged to trail her to that place.
A guy known as Michael Barrett went through a lot of trouble to uncover the hotel where she was staying. He not only found out where she was, but by making a call to the hotel and faking his identity as her coworker, he managed to get her room number. As if that was not enough, he even put forward the request to be in the room adjacent to hers. What’s more, the hotel permitted it without any hesitation.
As soon as Barrett got inside, he tampered with the peephole on Erin’s room door and covertly filmed her while she was changing. Without realizing it, he captured a 4.5-minute clip of her. That clip was made public in 2009, and regrettably, it was disseminated to a large extent. It was a privacy calamity that you wouldn’t even think of.
Erin Fought Back In Court
In fact, in 2016, Erin was at her limit. She made up her mind to sue not only Barrett but also the hotel. Her argument was simple: It was not only a stalker situation. Due to the hotel’s negligence in handling her personal data, the hotel was partly responsible for this incident.
She filed a civil case of $75 million, citing that the hotel’s negligence was the cause of the incident. In fact, she was right.
Erin’s Testimony
Erin revealed her suffering from the emotional toll of the incident during the courtroom experience. She explained how being humiliated and feeling ashamed were parts of her experience. Still, the incident kept Erin being haunted by it as some people referred to it, showed her the video, or uttered words to her when she was in public. That energy does not simply disappear.
Her exact words during testimony were:
“This is something I deal with every single day… I feel so humiliated and ashamed.”
Her parents also gave their testimony, explaining the fear they experienced at that time. They were unaware who had recorded her and if it could happen again, so the fear for them was very tangible.
What the Jury Decided
In March 2016, the jury gave its verdict. Erin was awarded $55 million in damages.
Here’s how it was split:
- 51% of the blame went to Michael Barrett (the stalker).
- 49% was assigned to the hotel companies like West End Hotel Partners and Windsor Capital Group.
The implication was that Barrett had to pay around $28 million, and the hotel about $27 million. It is quite certain that Barrett was not going to pay (he is not really a millionaire), but the hotel was not allowed any such reason.
