Erin Andrews gets $55 million for peephole video that will never go away

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens online is yours forever. Things posted don't simply go away -- a problem many of today's youth will face in the future. However, it's also a problem people have to come to terms with right now, even when it's not online intentionally.

That's the case with sportscaster Erin Andrews, who was videotaped naked in her hotel room through the peephole of the room's door. Yes, it made for huge views and sensational news, but it also damaged a human being.

To that end, both the hotel and the stalker who filmed Andrews are on the hook to the tune of $26 million for the hotel and $28 million for Michael David Barrett, the stalker in this case.

The film isn't technically porn, not in the classic definition anyway, but it is nudity and it was filmed without permission in a very stalker and lurid fashion. For that Andrews took everyone to court and had her say about all of it.

Yahoo Sports states that Barrett had explicitly asked for a hotel room adjacent to Andrews, this wasn't just an opportunity, but a planned visit. "Barrett had reserved the room next to Andrews' and said he found her room through a directory within the house phone at the hotel. He explained his practices in a video played last week during the trial".

According to testimony, Barrett was listening to find out when Andrews was in the shower. When he heard it shut off, he waited ten seconds and then placed his phone at the hole and began filming.

Sophos security points out that "$55 million may sound like a lot of money for emotional distress and embarrassment, but given legal fees, the fact that Barrett doesn’t have the money, insurance company wrangling, and appeals that will likely bring the hotel’s payout down, some are estimating that Andrews will walk away with a far more modest amount".

So there's the price of stalking and putting the video of it online. Perhaps a few people will learn a lesson from all of this.

Photo Credit: Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock