Forensic Transmissions Episode 142: Erin Andrews Stalking Trial
In 2016, the TV sports journalist Erin Andrews brought a $75 million lawsuit against a stalker, Michael David Barrett, and the managing company of the Nashville Marriot, where she stayed in 2009. Erin, who at the time was a college football reporter for ESPN, was followed by Michael Barrett, who asked hotel staff what room Erin was staying in, and asked to be put in the room next to hers. In a taped deposition, Barrett said, “I heard the door slam close next to me and saw it was her leaving her room. I took [her door’s] peephole out, altered it, put it back in and left shortly after. I used a hacksaw to cut off the threads, so it was basically a plug, and put it back in. I went back to the room, and, unfortunately for both of us, I could hear that the shower was on in her room when I walked by. I waited until the shower went off. Then I pulled out the plug [on her door] and waited for the opportunity. I waited for a matter of 10 seconds. I waited for her to be visible.”
Barrett was sentenced to more than two years in prison for the offense. Here, Erin tearfully explains that for the last seven years she’s been forced to relive the memory daily. She said that many people believed it was a publicity stunt that enhanced her career, rather than damaging it.
The civil trial took place in Nashville, Tennessee, and the jury unanimously awarded Erin $55 million dollars in compensation for her suffering.