Erin Andrews Breaks Down During Dad's Testimony in $75 Million Civil Suit The TV host and reporter was in tears while listening to her father tell jurors how much his daughter was affected by a stalker videotaping her nude and posting the clip in online.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It has been eight years since a stalker filmed Erin Andrews undressing in her hotel room, but the trauma continues to have a major impact on the sports reporter.
Taking the stand on Tuesday in her civil trial, Andrews' father, Steven Andrews, told the jury that his daughter has turned into a "shell of the person" after the incident.
"My daughter has been scared for eight years," Steven told the jury. "Eight years she has been terrified that there's something else out there. That there's someone else looking for her."
"She's mad," he also said. "She's terrified. She's depressed. She cries. She's full of anxiety. She's a very, very changed person. She's not the girl that we used to know at all."
Related:
During his testimony, the sportscaster broke down, wiping away tears from her face, as her father recalled the incident.
In 2008, Andrews checked into The Nashville Marriott to cover the Vanderbilt football game. Michael David Barrett, a man who had been stalking Andrews, called the hotel and asked what room Andrews was staying in. He was provided with the room number, allowing him to book the room next to her, rig her peephole and record her undressing. He later uploaded the footage to the Internet where it has been viewed more than 300 million times.
Andrews is seeking $75 million in damages from the defendants in the civil trial: The Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University, the hotel's owner West End Hotel Partners, the management company Windsor Capital Group and Barrett.
Related:
Andrews' team claims that the hotel "intentionally" placed Barrett in the room and failed to see that the he had "removed and altered the peephole," according to the lawsuit. Attorneys for Andrews allege negligence, emotional distress and invasion of privacy, among other things.
This sort of violation would be detrimental to anyone, but it hit Andrews hard as she had body issues growing up, according to her father's testimony. She was tall and skinny, causing her to feel awkward and insecure about her body, her father stated.
"This was about the worst thing that could have happened to her from the perspective of self-pride, comfort in the way you look," he said of the recordings.
The defense argues that Barrett was a pro and phoned in the room request using an in-house phone, allowing him to finagle his way into the room next to Andrews.
The trial is expected to last 10 days.
Related: Will the Next Threat to Consumer Privacy Target the WHOIS Protocol?
