Litigation

ESPN Sportscaster Erin Andrews Sues Hotel Chains Over Stalker

By Michael Krauss

ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews has sued the Marriott and Radisson hotel chains for invasion of privacy, for lax security that allowed a stalker to videotape her (through the door's peephole) undressing inside her hotel room. I had raised this possibility in my Torts classroom back when Ms. Andrews' stalker, Michael Barrett, was arrested. Hotels do have affirmative duties toward their guests, and the only real issue at hand will be whether the jurisdiction whose law applies (she is suing in Chicago, but the incidents occurred in Milwaukee and Nashville) allows suits for emotional distress in the absence of physical contact or injury. The complaint alleges that the stalker was able to obtain information about Ms. Andrews' hotel room number by phoning the hotels -- if true, this is clearly negligent.

Here's the story, in the ABA Journal.

Full post as published by Point of Law on July 16, 2010 (boomark / email).