Erin Andrews has finally taken action against the hotels that enabled her stalker, Michael David Barrett to occupy rooms next to hers and secretly videotape her. 

Photo: GQ Magazine

Andrews just renewed her contract with ESPN that gives her more freedom to appear on the ABC network side of the Disney empire, in addition to working ESPN entertainment and sporting events. 

Earlier this week, Erin worked at the ESPY Awards during their Red Carpet special in downtown Los Angeles and then watched the show with her partner, Max Chmerkovskiy  from “Dancing With The Stars”. 

Red Carpet slideshow from ESPY’s Red Carpet,
 

The lawsuit names Marriott International and Radisson Hotels International and seeks damages for negligence, infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy. 

On several occasions during 2008, the hotel chains provided Barrett with Andrews’ room information without her permission. Andrews traveled extensively in the course of her employment with ESPN. 

After obtaining that information Barrett then asked to rent the room adjacent to hers and the hotels granted that request. 

Barrett was able to videotape Andrews, while she was in various staged of undress, post the video to the Internet and allegedly shop the footage for sale to TMZ. 

Erin Andrews, a crime victim, ridiculed after nude video was posted on Internet
 

That led to his arrest and a 2009 guilty plea to stalking charges, for which is doing two and a half years of jail time. 

Andrews wants to send a message with the legal action. ” 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,” Andrews said in a statement, which was published by CNN. 

Used with permission of the author. 

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.  

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It has been reported that emails threatening the life of ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews surfaced this week and were brought to the attention of the FBI.TMZ.com initially broke the story about the emails, some of which dated back to September 2009.

They were sent to the Dan Patrick radio program and characterized as sexual in nature. Lately the messages became threatening and specific. That is when the federal authorities were notified.

SportsbyBrooks.com reported that Directv, which simulcasts the radio program on its Channel 101 was being criticized by Andrews’ attorney Marshall Grossman for failing to alert him when the messages were first received.

Brook’s discussion with a Directv source made it clear that the emails weren’t even reviewed until this week, which Brooks claims is not unusual for a national show that gets buried in mail. There was no delay once they were discovered.

Grossman told media his client is “having a rough time” and ABC which broadcasts Dancing With the Stars has added to its security for Andrews.

Andrews was victimized by Michael David Barrett, a stalker who followed her while she traveled on business, checked into hotel rooms adjacent to her and videotaped her through holes in the room walls.

Some of that video was posted on the Internet. After his capture it became known that Andrews was only one of multiple women who were victimized by his crimes.

The ESPN personality spoke at Barrett’s sentencing hearing and detailed for the judge how she lives in fear of it happening to her again. She also spoke about the vulgar taunting she now absorbs in public while performing her job at college sporting events. Barrett was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison.

Some of her fears seem to have been realized with these latest developments.

There were critics of her decision to appear on the wildly popular ABC program who thought she should keep a lower profile or at least one that didn’t entail dancing in outfits that titillate.

As far back as last spring, Andrews talked about how much she wanted to appear on the dancing program. “I want to do it, because I think I’d be good at it,” she told Dan Steinberg for The Sporting Blog.

She apparently decided to live her life in a manner that wasn’t dictated by the effects of Barrett’s crime, which she has every right to do. Emails sent prior to Dancing With the Stars are evidence that there are people, or at least one person, who needed no further provocation for what he did.

It’s anyone’s guess if Andrews’ attitude will remain the same as a result of the latest news, but it’s clear that she has entered that realm of celebrities who contend with stalking and violent threats.

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™        

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – U.S. District Judge Manuel Real threw the book at Michael David Barrett, giving the voyeur the maximum sentence allowed by law for shooting nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews.

Barrett who is from the Chicago area, will spend the next 2 ½ years behind bars.The videographer plead guilty back in December to stalking Andrews, following her to three cities obtaining the voyeuristic videos that were taped through peepholes then attempting to sell them to the TMZ.

While the nude videos were being shown on several sites on the Internet, the New York Post covered the story and included several graphic naked images of Andrews taken from the videos.

At the time, ESPN responded to the paper’s coverage by banning all New York Post reporters from appearing on their programming.

Andrews encouraged the judge to sentence her stalker to more than the 27 months he had formally agreed to prior to the hearing and the judge having the authority to add to that amount, did just that.

“You violated me and you violated all women,” Andrews told Barrett in the courtroom. “You are a sexual predator, a sexual deviant and they should lock you up. Thirty months isn’t enough.”

Barrett admitted renting hotel rooms right next to Andrews and shooting two videos of her while she stood naked, fixing her hair in the mirror.

“There are no words to tell Ms. Andrews how sorry I am for what I’ve done to her,” Barrett said. “I hope someday she can forgive me.”

“It’s my body on the Internet,” Andrews said. “I’m being traumatized every single day for what he did. This will never be over for me.”

The sentence also includes supervised probation for three years after his release and any stays in hotel rooms must be approved by his probation officer. He was also ordered to shell out $5,000 in fines and $7,366 in restitution.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

ATLANTA – Erin Andrews still coming down from the ordeal of being videoed naked in a hotel room several days ago called 911 to report two paparazzi creeping around her home. Andrews, an ESPN sports reporter voted the sexiest female to work the mic, is no stranger to attention but lately seems to be getting the kind of attention she prefers not to get.

During the call which can be heard in it’s entirety on TMZ.com, Andrews gets irate stating “I’m being treated like f**king Brittney Spears!” and later refers to the intruders as “assholes.”

Here’s the transcript of the call:

Dispatcher: DeKalb 911. What’s the address of your emergency?

Andrews: Um, I was in the news recently about being in a hotel naked, and I have paparazzi outside my window, and I was told by law enforcement that if I did to call 911.

Dispatcher: Do you want to meet with an officer? (pause)Do you want to meet with an officer, ma’am, when they come out?

Andrews: Yeah, these guys are sitting in a car outside my house right now. I would like to tell the officer to have them leave because the cops have told me to call 911 if they’re outside my house.

Dispatcher: And what’s your name?

Andrews: My name is Erin. My last name is Andrews. I’m all over the news right now.

Dispatcher: I’m not familiar.

Andrews: I’m the girl that was videotaped without her knowing, without her clothes on in the hotel.

Dispatcher: Really?

Andrews: And I’ve got two assholes sitting outside my house.

Dispatcher: I’m so sorry.

Andrews: I am, too. Thank you.

Dispatcher: We’ll send someone out. What kind of vehicle are they in?

Andrews: They’re in a RAV, a white RAV4. I’m in a gated community, and I don’t know how they got in. Mom, can you see their license plates? It’s a handicap license plate they have. What’s the license plate number?

Dispatcher: What’s the tag number?

Andrews: We’re trying to see. Do you see it, Mom? OK, I’m gonna try and go to another room and see if I can read it. I can’t believe these jerks are knocking on my door. F**king assholes. Mom, you’re totally being obvious.

Dispatcher: Are they black, white or Hispanic?

Andrews: What?

Dispatcher: Are they black, white or Hispanic?

Andrews: They’re both white males. I think it’s – they know I’m here, ’cause I have a car out front. So they know I’m inside. I have private security that I’m working with, but they’re not with me currently, and they said call 911. OK, here’s the license plate. It’s a handicap license plate for Georgia. (pause) They’re looking at me through my window.

Dispatcher: Are you OK?

Andrews: Yeah, I’m just – I did nothing wrong, and I’m being treated like f**king Britney Spears, and it sucks. I’m sorry.

Dispatcher: OK, the first available unit will see you as soon as possible.

Andrews: Thanks. Do you know how far they’re out?

Dispatcher: No. They should be in – they’ll be here as soon as possible.

Andrews: OK.

Dispatcher: OK, thank you.

Andrews: Thanks.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

SAN FRANCISCO – I’m still in San Francisco for meetings until later in the week but had several emails inquiring about the story about ESPN reporter Erin Andrews being filmed naked by a voyeur in a hotel room.

Although I do not have time to investigate or research the story, our friends at Deadspin covered it so I will send Sports Climax readers to the Deadspin story here.

Also make it known that as much as we at Sports Climax love showcasing beautiful women as we reiterate in our Sexiest Female Athletes Gallery and Hottest NFL and NBA Cheerleaders Gallery, we do not condone people who spy on others and post naked pictures and or video throughout the Internet against their will.

We hope they locate the maker of the Erin Andrews naked video.

In the meantime, thousands of Internet voyeurs have themselves fallen prey to hackers, who spread a virus on bogus sites claiming to have the video.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax