Chicago – Erin Andrews filed a civil lawsuit today in the Circuit Court of Cook County against Marriott International, Inc., West End Hotel Partners, LLC dba Nashville Marriott At Vanderbilt University, Windsor Capital Group, Inc., Radisson Hotels International, Inc., Ashtel Inc. dba Radisson Hotel Milwaukee Airport, The Ohio State University dba The Blackwell Inn, Preferred Hotel Group, Inc. dba Summit Hotels & Resorts, and Michael David Barrett.

She alleges claims of negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy as against the hotel entities; and claims of negligence, invasion of privacy (intrusion of seclusion and public disclosure of private facts) and intentional infliction of emotional distress as against Michael David Barrett. Erin Andrews vs. Marriott International, Inc., et. al., Case Number 2010L008186.

While traveling across the United States to perform her job as an ESPN reporter, Erin Andrews regularly stays at hotels, including those owned and operated by Defendants, and always with the expectation of privacy once checked into her room. On July 16, 2009, as alleged in the complaint, she became aware for the first time that she had been surreptitiously videotaped by Michael David Barrett without her knowledge or consent while staying in various of Defendants’ hotel rooms; and she alleges that further dissemination of these unauthorized videos over the Internet has caused and continues to cause her great emotional distress and embarrassment.

Ms. Andrews alleges that Michael David Barrett called the Defendant hotels seeking to determine if Ms. Andrews had made reservations to stay there. Not only did the hotels confirm that Ms. Andrews was intending to register as a guest, but they also released, without Ms. Andrews’ consent, her room number. The hotels then provided Michael David Barrett a hotel room immediately adjacent to hers. Mr. Barrett subsequently checked in to the room next to Ms. Andrews, modified the peephole device in Ms. Andrews’ hotel room door, and surreptitiously filmed her through the altered peephole while she was getting dressed and without her consent or knowledge.

Michael David Barrett ultimately disseminated these illegally obtained videos of Ms. Andrews over the Internet. For example, when Ms. Andrews stayed at the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN on September 2, 2008, Michael David Barrett was placed in the room directly adjacent to hers, solely at his request. As Ms. Andrews alleges, the actions of the hotel Defendants directly facilitated Mr. Barrett’s conduct.

“I’ve filed this lawsuit to hold accountable those who put my personal safety at risk and who allowed my privacy to be invaded while I was a guest at their hotel,” stated Erin Andrews, “as well as for actually stalking me and making my most personal moments public. Although I’ll never be able to fully erase the impact that this invasion of privacy has had upon me and my family, I do hope that my experience will cause the hospitality industry to be more vigilant in protecting its guests from the time they reserve a hotel room until they check out.”

“In revealing that Erin Andrews would be or was a guest, by placing Michael David Barrett in the room next to hers, and by failing to discover that the peephole of her hotel room door had been altered,” stated Bruce A. Broillet, lead counsel for Ms. Andrews, “the Marriott and other hotels named in this lawsuit allowed Barrett to take surreptitious, illegal videos of Ms. Andrews and post them on the Internet. Each Defendant’s role in invading Erin’s privacy was not only negligent, but reprehensible. Our goal is to hold the defendants accountable to Erin in a court of law and to see that justice is served.”