Greed by Any Other Name

Erin Andrews

Erin Andrews, the popular, photogenic sports reporter and television star feels so wronged about being secretly video-recorded by a peeping Tom that she's suing the man who committed the vile act.

And she's suing the Nashville Marriott Hotel at Vanderbilt University and Windsor Capital Group, the management company, for $75 million. The trial began on February 22, in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Who's the peeping Tom? He's an insurance salesman named Michael David Barrett who filmed Andrews in the buff several years ago while Andrews was staying at the Nashville hotel.

Andrews was in Nashville at the time to cover a college football game. Evidently Barrett, whose job required him to travel extensively, was a frequent Marriott customer. And according to Andrews and her attorney, Barrett got to know Marriott employees quite well.

So well in fact that Andrews and her lawyer believe that Barrett was able to persuade the Marriott employees to rent him a room next to Andrews at the Nashville hotel. Barrett then proceeded to record Andrews through a peephole in Andrews' door, and he eventually published the videos on the internet.

It turns out that Barrett had made unsuccessful attempts to record Andrews at other Marriott hotels before he finally succeeded in Nashville. He was caught after Andrews was alerted to the racy videos circulating on the internet. 

Barrett initially attempted to sell the videos to TMZ, a provocative organization that covers celebrities and entertainers. The folks at TMZ may be bold and aggressive, but they aren't stupid. They rejected Barrett's offer, and you don't have to be a brain surgeon to understand why.

Barrett was arrested for stalking and invasion of privacy, and he served two and a half years in prison. He should've done a lot more time because no one has the right to exploit someone else for personal gain. How much time should Barrett have been given? I would've given him at least 10 years or more.

Andrews says that Barrett humiliated her, and that's a valid argument. She's an attractive woman who draws a lot of attention wherever she goes. Her privacy was violated by a greedy, sleazy stalker who's now deservedly in some deep you-know-what. And it's now up to Andrews' attorney to convince the jury that the Nashville Marriott conspired with Barrett to set up the unauthorized video session.

If the jury decides that Marriott colluded with Barrett to place him in a room next to Andrews, then the hotel should be made to pay. The hotel's attorneys claim--naturally--that Barrett was able to track down Andrews on his own. Obviously, the jury will decide whether they believe that or not.

But should the hotel be made to pay $75 million if it's found guilty? Andrews claims that she's been emotionally scarred by the ordeal. She claims that those scars will probably never go away. And maybe she's right.

But will $75 million make those emotional scars go away? That might make the hotel go away, but what about those scars? Certainly, Andrews has a right to seek damages for her ordeal. And the perpetrators need to be punished. But $75 million?

That sounds like greed. And it is. Why is Andrews asking for $75 million? Because she's suing a profitable hotel chain. If the jury decides in favor of Andrews, it will probably reduce the award. Andrews and her lawyer know that. That's why they asked for such an exorbitant amount. If they win, they'll still come away with a bundle.

I don't know if Andrews is a Christian. But if she believes that she is, then she needs to heed these words by the apostle Paul: 

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? (1 Corinthians 6:7-9)

And she needs to heed these words from Jesus Christ Himself:

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Michael David Barrett deserves to be punished for what he did. And if the Nashville Marriott colluded with him to put him in a room next to Andrews, they deserve to be punished as well.

However, $75 million isn't about punishment. It's about greed. And there's no other name for it.