$55 Million Verdict in Andrews Civil Case Justified, Highlights ‘Modern Day’ Negligent Security Issue
A jury awarded sports reporter Erin Andrews $55 million on Monday in her lawsuit against a stalker who bought a hotel room next to her and secretly recorded a nude video, finding that the hotel companies and the stalker shared in the blame.
After a full day of deliberations, the panel said the stalker was responsible for 51 percent of the blame and the two hotel companies would share the rest, which comes out to nearly $27 million.
Michael Haggard, Managing Partner of The Haggard Law Firm says “the Erin Andrews case is really a modern day Negligent Security case that highlights the simple security measures that hotels have to strive to uphold. “ Since 2007 Haggard’s Firm has handled over 150 negligent security cases and delivered $338,035,586 in verdicts and settlements to its clients.
Jurors in the Andrews case heard directly from the Fox Sports reporter and Dancing with the Starsco-host, who testified that she was humiliated, shamed and suffers from depression as a result of the video, which has been viewed by millions of people online.
Andrews has maintained that someone at the hotel gave out her room number to Michael David Barrett and honored his request to be placed near her. She said no one ever told her that he asked to be in an adjoining or connecting room. Had she known that, she said she would’ve called police.
“To allow a stalker to request a room next to a celebrity or for that matter specifically request a room next to anyone without their consent is outrageous. A simple “heads up” to Ms. Andrews would have prevented this tragedy” says Haggard.
Haggard adds the situation could have been much worse. The stalker could have been violent, which is what the Coral Gables Florida-based attorney often sees in the negligent security cases his firm has handled. “Thank goodness this event did not turn into something violent. Imagine if the stalker involved in the stabbing of Monica Seles decided to confront her in a hotel room rather than at a tennis match.” During the French Open tennis tournament in 1993 Seles was stabbed during a break in her match by a fan obsessed with one of her chief rivals.
Attorneys for the companies that owned the hotel argued that while what happened to Andrews was terrible, the convicted stalker should be solely to blame because he was a determined criminal. The attorneys also suggested that Andrews’ rise in her career shows she did not suffer severe and permanent distress.
Haggard adds, “For the defense to say that Ms. Andrews career has been enhanced is disgusting and totally misses the point of this invasion of privacy that will affect her for the rest of her life.”
* facts of the story were sourced from the following NBC News articlehttp://www.necn.com/news/national-international/Jury-Finds-Hotel-at-Fault-in-Erin-Andrews-Nude-Video-Lawsuit-371321611.html#ixzz42JrlkL1X
