Erin Andrews is asking for a hefty sum in a negligence lawsuit centered around the leaked nude video of her that went viral in 2009.
Andrews first filed the lawsuit against Marriott International (and several other defendants) in 2011, but the trial will begin in February. Court documents obtained by The Smoking Gun reveal just how much she is seeking in the case – $75 million.
The criminal case against Michael David Barrett, the stalker who surreptitiously recorded Andrews as she changed inside her Marriott hotel room, has been resolved for some time. Barrett was arrested in October of 2009, just months after the video he recorded hit the web. He pleaded guilty to interstate stalking in December of the same year.
In 2010, Barrett was sentenced to 30 months in prison, three years probation, and ordered to pay fines and restitution. He was released in July of 2012.
But Andrews claims that Marriott is liable in her privacy violation. Mainly, Andrews says that Marriott not only informed Barrett that she would be staying at the hotel, but also granted his request to book a room next to hers.
“Prior to September 2, 2008, Plaintiff is informed and believes that Barrett made calls from Illinois to Defendants Marriott, West End, and/or Windsor to determine if Plaintiff would be staying at the Nashville Marriott,” reads the lawsuit.
“On or about September 2, 2008, Barrett reserved a room at the Nashville Marriott and specifically requested that his room be placed next to Plaintiff. Defendants Marriott, West End, and/or Windsor granted the request and placed Barrett in the room next to Plaintiff without Plaintiff’s consent or knowledge. Defendant Barrett removed and altered the peephole of Plaintiff’s hotel room door and recorded video of Plaintiff changing and/or getting dressed without her consent of knowledge.
“The unknowing and unwelcome filming of Plaintiff while she was changing and/or getting dressed and the further dissemination of unauthorized, private videos of Plaintiff in the hotel rooms has caused and continues to cause Plaintiff great emotional distress and embarrassment.”
Andrews, a sports reporter and host for ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, worked with the U.S. Senate to help pass new federal anti-stalking laws soon after the incident.
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