Erin Andrews has been awarded a $55 million settlement in her highly-publicized lawsuit regarding intrusive nude videos filmed of her in hotel rooms back in 2008.
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A Nashville jury determined Monday that convicted stalker Michael Barrett must pay 51 percent of the total amount, or $28 million, for the emotional damage he caused Andrews by posting two Peeping Tom videos online.
In addition, West End Hotel Partners -- which owns and operates the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University, where Andrews had been staying -- was found 49 percent at fault and therefore owes $26 million, ABC News reported.
The 37-year-old Dancing with the Stars co-host reportedly unlikely to get the full $55 million, however, because Barrett doesn't have that kind of money and she'll also have to pay her own legal fees out of the award. Still, an ABC News legal expert explained Andrews probably couldn't have asked for a better outcome.
It remains unclear whether the hotel's lawyers will request a reduced payout or appeal the verdict, but their negotiating position has reportedly weakened substantially due to the jury's decision and the fact Andrews' case is so high-profile and she has an incredible amount of supporters.
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In her lawsuit, Andrews had accused hotel employees of disclosing her room number to Barrett, who in turn booked the room next door and filmed her to make money. Barrett was already sentenced back in 2010 to two-and-a-half years in prison.
Andrews had testified that she struggles with panic attacks, insecurity, depression and anxiety due to the videos. The sports reporter said thoughts of people watching them haunt her and she even developed trust issues in her romantic relationship with pro hockey player Jarret Stoll. An estimated 16.8 million people worldwide viewed the videos to some extent between July 2009 and January 2016.
"Right from the beginning [the hotel] gave out information that they shouldn't have and multiple hotel witnesses in this case admitted that was a violation," Andrews' attorney Bruce Broillet reportedly said in his final argument, adding that the hotel's security was lacking as to allow this series of events to transpire without noticing.
On the contrary, West End Hotel Partners insisted Barrett's criminal actions were his responsibility, not theirs. The defense compared the incident to a hotel having no control over bed bugs no matter how clean or well-inspected the beds are, as well as banks not being responsible for bank robbers, People reported.
Andrews released the following statement Monday on her Twitter account: "I would like to thank the Nashville court, the court personnel and the jury for their service. The support I've received from the people of Nashville has been overwhelming. I would also like to thank my family, friends, and legal team."
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"I've been honored by all the support from victims around the world," she continued. "Their outreach has helped me be able to stand up and hold accountable those whose job it is to protect everyone's safety, security and privacy."
Andrews previously said she's just going to move forward with her career as normally as possible. As a result, she hopes people will forget about the videos and she'll eventually forget about the traumatic experience.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski