Erin Andrews Won How Much in Civil Lawsuit Over Nude Video?
A jury dropped the hammer on a creep and the Nashville Marriott, where he tampered with the hotel room's peephole to record a nude video of Erin Andrews.
On Monday, the jury awarded the Fox Sports broadcaster $55 million as a result of her lawsuit against Michael David Barrett and the Nashville Marriott, putting the man on the hook for approximately $28 million in damages with the hotel ordered to cough up $27 million.
Andrews and her dad both took to their Twitter accounts to thank the jury for granting her justice after her privacy was severely violated, when the footage of her naked in her hotel room was posted online in 2009.
While the victory is significant, TMZ Sports is reporting that when it's all said and done that the $55 million she was awarded could be easily whittled down to $6 million.
How? Well, she may never receive a penny from Barrett, and Marriott is certain to appeal the judgment, creating the possibility that the remaining $27 million amount could be brought down significantly as well.
TMZ says the legal experts it spoke with believe Marriott will aim for a settlement of around $20 million.
But even that amount would be slashed down, given the traditional 40 percent that lawyers typically rake in for recoverable judgments in these type of cases. That would mean a $20 million settlement would have her paying lawyers $8 million.
She could be on the hook for another $1 million in costs to prepare the case, while the remaining $11 million would be subject to taxes, leaving her with $6 million.
Originally, Andrews had requested $75 million in damages, before being awarded $55 million.
But for Andrews, is the principle of the win enough or is it more important she get every bit of that $55 million amount awarded possible?
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Erin Andrews won a spectacular victory in her peephole lawsuit, but her $55 million verdict is almost certainly going to get slashed many times over.
Of the $55 million, she will never see a penny from pervert Michael Barrett, who is on the hook for $28 million. Marriott is responsible for the remaining $27 million.
Marriott will almost certainly appeal the verdict, which then opens the door to settlement. There are compelling reasons why Erin might want to settle. It's a huge judgment when you consider there's no physical injury ... just emotional distress. An appeals court could overturn the verdict on grounds it's simply excessive. It's a crapshoot to go forward with an appeal ... for both sides.
The legal experts we've spoken with all say the likelihood is the case will settle ... for somewhere around $20 million on Marriott's part.
Now the lawyers' fees. In lawsuits where a case actually goes to trial, lawyers typically get around 40% of the recoverable judgment. So, if Erin settles with Marriott for $20 million, the lawyers would get $8 million, leaving her with $12 million. And Erin's responsible for costs in preparing the case, which we're told could approach $1 million, leaving her with $11 million.
Now the bad news. In cases where someone wins an award for emotional distress without any physical injuries, the award is taxable. So the $11 million becomes more like $6 million.
The good news ... the lawyers will make a fortune.
Andrews was asking for $75 million in her civil suit vs. West End Hotel Partners, which operates the Marriott at Vanderbilt, and Michael David Barrett, who tampered with her hotel room's peephole to record a video of her while she was in her hotel room. Barrett then posted the video online in 2009.
The jury found Barrett 51-percent responsible and the hotel to be 49-percent responsible, meaning Barrett is on the hook for approximately $28 million in damages while the hotel is ordered to pay $26 million.
Erin Andrews won a spectacular victory in her peephole lawsuit, but her $55 million verdict is almost certainly going to get slashed many times over.
Of the $55 million, she will never see a penny from pervert Michael Barrett, who is on the hook for $28 million. Marriott is responsible for the remaining $27 million.
Marriott will almost certainly appeal the verdict, which then opens the door to settlement. There are compelling reasons why Erin might want to settle. It's a huge judgment when you consider there's no physical injury ... just emotional distress. An appeals court could overturn the verdict on grounds it's simply excessive. It's a crapshoot to go forward with an appeal ... for both sides.
The legal experts we've spoken with all say the likelihood is the case will settle ... for somewhere around $20 million on Marriott's part.
Now the lawyers' fees. In lawsuits where a case actually goes to trial, lawyers typically get around 40% of the recoverable judgment. So, if Erin settles with Marriott for $20 million, the lawyers would get $8 million, leaving her with $12 million. And Erin's responsible for costs in preparing the case, which we're told could approach $1 million, leaving her with $11 million.
Now the bad news. In cases where someone wins an award for emotional distress without any physical injuries, the award is taxable. So the $11 million becomes more like $6 million.
The good news ... the lawyers will make a fortune.
(Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
