OT Erin Andrews awarded $55M

[Husker.Wed.]

I am not discounting how disgusting and creepy that guy filming through the peep hole was. If someone did that to my wife, I'd want to hurt him. That being said, if someone wants to film me in my hotel room and go viral with it, I'm OK with it as long as I get my $55 million large.

 

[maplesyrup95]

I agree. I can understand millions being involved here. But 55??

 

[ru4nu2win]

She won't see but a small percentage of that amount! The peep dude is broke and the hotel will appeal, appeal, appeal! Then file bancruptcy!

 

[c2o]

55 mil seems like a lot because somebody told me the video is blurry and you can't see much.
But what do I know.
I have more important things to do than to spend 4 minutes and 58 seconds on a blurry peephole hotel room video.

 

[Limencoke]

I expressed much the same opinions as above to my wife (who is much more knowledgeable about the case), and she said the majority of the settlement is because the hotel deliberately gave away her room number to the stalker.

 

[Husker.Wed.]

55 mil seems like a lot because somebody told me the video is blurry and you can't see much.
But what do I know.
I have more important things to do than to spend 4 minutes and 58 seconds on a blurry peephole hotel room video.

I have a friend of a friend who said the video was pretty good.

 

[George Utley]

I have a friend of a friend who said the video was pretty good.

Your friend's friend is an idiot. You can barely even seen anything.

I get that she's a famous chick, but on the list of great pr0n that I've seen, I'd put it way down near the bottom.

Certainly not worth $55 million and however many years that dude got in jail.

 

[NikkiSixx]

Does anyone think they would be awarded that kind of money if a hotel gave out their room number? The jury did no one any favors with that high of an award. 200 grand tops, and even that is pushing it.

 

[huskerfan66]

Does anyone think they would be awarded that kind of money if a hotel gave out their room number? The jury did no one any favors with that high of an award. 200 grand tops, and even that is pushing it.

I am pretty sure that of the 55 mil, it could get settled out of appeal for half. Of which the lawyers will get 1/3 and after taxes she will get about 10 mil. Pretty good payday still.

 

[leodisflowers]

Does anyone think they would be awarded that kind of money if a hotel gave out their room number? The jury did no one any favors with that high of an award. 200 grand tops, and even that is pushing it.

Only in America

 

[93sker]

Saw on the news this morning the expected net is about $6mm after accounting for the bankrupt guy, no physical harm (emotional only), hotel buyout and the "fair share" paid to the gov.

 

[TheBeav815]

I heard from a guy who claimed that the video is really hard to find any more.

 

[TheLiberalHunter]

For 55 mil I may start to find her attractive

 

[huskermidget]

She won't see but a small percentage of that amount! The peep dude is broke and the hotel will appeal, appeal, appeal! Then file bancruptcy!

And hotel chain isn't going broke over $55 million.

 

[MissaSolemnis]

The rich get richer.

 

[bigboxes]

I heard from a guy who claimed that the video is really hard to find any more.

It's not.

 

[sparky62]

I might get crucified for this but the wife & I actually argued about this the other day. IMO this is horsesh!t. 55 mil. Bull hockey. Most wrongful death lawsuits are a fraction of that. She is stating that it destroyed her self-esteem. She actually played this into a multi-million dollar contract with a lot of companies. I say that, yes, the man should be thrown in jail for a very long time and let those in prison beat the crap out of him. If this happened to my wife or daughters I would be livid & hunt that man down, but 55 million is a joke.
On a side note, lets see how the jury handles the Hulk Hogan videotape.

 

[leodisflowers]

I might get crucified for this but the wife & I actually argued about this the other day. IMO this is horsesh!t. 55 mil. Bull hockey. Most wrongful death lawsuits are a fraction of that. She is stating that it destroyed her self-esteem. She actually played this into a multi-million dollar contract with a lot of companies. I say that, yes, the man should be thrown in jail for a very long time and let those in prison beat the crap out of him. If this happened to my wife or daughters I would be livid & hunt that man down, but 55 million is a joke.
On a side note, lets see how the jury handles the Hulk Hogan videotape.

Yeah. Isn't the Hulkster asking for like 100M?

 

[hddude55]

Hard to believe a minimum wage employee who surely was told to never reveal someone's room location -- and then did it anyway, probably for a small bribe -- will cost his or her employer millions for doing it. Meanwhile the perv and the unscrupulous minimum wage employee won't pay a dime. Erin deserves compensation but somehow it doesn't seem right that the guilty parties won't pay a dime. BTW the award will certainly be greatly reduced but will still be a lot of coin. Employers are held responsible for negligent acts of employees committed within the scope of employment, but was giving out Erin's room location a negligent act? I would bet it was intentional, not negligent, and involved a bribe, which arguably would get the hotel off the hook. But it is no secret that juries sympathetic to a plaintiff will hunt around for deep pockets to compensate that victim even if they have to stretch liability principles. It sure seems like that is what happened here.

 

[NikkiSixx]

Tort reform is badly needed, but who is going to pass those reforms when most lawmakers are attorneys?

 

[hddude55]

Tort reform is badly needed, but who is going to pass those reforms when most lawmakers are attorneys?

Tort reform may be needed but that won't stop sympathetic juries from ignoring the law to find deep pockets, which is what probably happened in this case. The only solution to that problem is to eliminate juries in tort trials and many of the same people who scream for tort reform would never support that change.

 

[jimbosc]

55 mil seems like a lot because somebody told me the video is blurry and you can't see much.
But what do I know.
I have more important things to do than to spend 4 minutes and 58 seconds on a blurry peephole hotel room video.

Like what? Watch shopping?
She has a great ass and nice hair extensions. I don't need to see her naked to get the general idea.

 

[jimbosc]

Tort reform is badly needed, but who is going to pass those reforms when most lawmakers are attorneys?

EXACXTAMUNDO!

 

[Husker.Wed.]

Like what? Watch shopping?

Very rarely do I literally "LOL", but I did at this.

 

[nuiscool]

I'd like to say that we're all smart enough to know that the rich(and or famous) live in a different world than us. And when it comes to covering your own butt, these minimum wage employees are 'representatives of the company'.

 

[huskerj12]

She was very obviously wronged, and was ogled by pervs all over the world, why shouldn't she get all she can? I say way to go!

 

[hddude55]

I'd like to say that we're all smart enough to know that the rich(and or famous) live in a different world than us. And when it comes to covering your own butt, these minimum wage employees are 'representatives of the company'.

As I pointed out earlier, the company is only liable for negligent acts of an employee committed within the scope of employment. Taking a bribe to give out Erin's room location is not a negligent act within the scope of employment. Does anyone seriously think you could walk into a major hotel and ask for Erin Andrews' room number and get that information without paying for it? However, as long as juries make decisions on tort cases, there is no way to stop sympathetic juries from going for the deep pockets even though it is likely that the hotel was innocent of any wrongdoing and the employee was not merely negligent while acting within the scope of employment.

 

[George Utley]

I heard from a guy who claimed that the video is really hard to find any more.

That guy is also an idiot.

You have to be pretty bad at the Internet to not be able to find it.

 

[George Utley]

As I pointed out earlier, the company is only liable for negligent acts of an employee committed within the scope of employment. Taking a bribe to give out Erin's room location is not a negligent act within the scope of employment. Does anyone seriously think you could walk into a major hotel and ask for Erin Andrews' room number and get that information without paying for it? However, as long as juries make decisions on tort cases, there is no way to stop sympathetic juries from going for the deep pockets even though it is likely that the hotel was innocent of any wrongdoing and the employee was not merely negligent while acting within the scope of employment.

What is your insistence with this bribe idiocy? It was demonstrated at the trial that the employees never received any kind of training to keep their guests' idientities and locations secret, which was a major part of the issue here and a big reason why they were found liable. The specific employee in question was actually deposed and part of it was played on the NBC Nightly News a few days ago where she testified, under oath, that in fact it was NOT part of her training to keep such information secret.

I also don't think the room number was even given out. The guy literally asked for the room next to hers, and they gave it to him. That is a staggering level of incompetence, and in fact, negligence.