In 2008, Erin Andrews’ privacy was violated when a man named Michael David Barrett videotaped the longtime sports reporter and TV host in a Nashville hotel room while she was naked, putting the video online and exposing Andrews in the worst way possible.
While eight years has passed, the pain is still very real, as Andrews showed today when her dad, Steven Andrews, took the stand Tuesday in her civil trial suit, recounting his recollection of how his daughter acted following the incident.
Per Entrepreneur.com:
Steven Andrews, told the jury that his daughter has turned into a “shell of the person” after the incident.
“My daughter has been scared for eight years,” Steven told the jury.”Eight years she has been terrified that there’s something else out there. That there’s someone else looking for her.”
“She’s mad,” he also said. “She’s terrified. She’s depressed. She cries. She’s full of anxiety. She’s a very, very changed person. She’s not the girl that we used to know at all.”
Throughout his entire testimony, Erin was scene crying and wiping away tears, visually showing how much trauma it has caused her emotionally.
For those unfamiliar with the details, Erin Andrews was staying at the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University in 2008, where she was on assignment for a Vanderbilt football game. Michael David Barrett—who had been stalking the reporter—had called ahead to get her room number, booking the room next to her.
That’s where Barrett made a peephole and was able to record Andrews undressed, with the video being viewed over 300 million times online.
Following the impact it had on her, Erin Andrews is seeking $75 million in damages from the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University, the hotel’s owner West End Hotel Partners, the management company Windsor Capital Group and Barrett, who are all the defendants in the case.
The trial is expected to last 10 days, but, regardless of the outcome, it’s clear from today that Erin Andrews’ life is forever affected.
[H/T Entrepreneur.com]