Sports reporter Erin Andrews has launched legal action against several hotels after she was secretly filmed nude in her rooms by a stalker two years ago who then posted videos of her online.
Glamorous Miss Andrews, 32, who works for sports broadcaster ESPN, is suing both Marriott International and Radisson Hotels International for negligence, emotional distress and invasion of privacy.
The lawsuit comes four months after Michael David Barrett, a former insurance salesman from Illinois, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail after pleading guilty to a number of stalking charges.
Barrett admitted in December to renting hotel rooms next to Andrews in three cities, altering hotel peepholes and shooting videos on his mobile phone in two locations - Columbus, Ohio, in February 2008 and Nashville, Tennessee, seven months later.
Prosecutors accused him of contacting 14 hotels asking for Andrews' reservation information.
The divorced father then tried to sell the footage to celebrity website TMZ, who declined.
Barrett posted the footage online himself where it quickly went viral.
Miss Andrews is also known in the U.S. for her appearance on the last season of hit show Dancing With The Stars.
Glamour girl: The ESPN reporter appeared on the last season of Dancing With The Stars alongside Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Andrews is asking for more than $1.2 million (£784,000) from the hotels and also from Barrett for ‘severe and permanent emotional distress,’ according to the complaint which was tendered last week in the Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago.
The lawsuit alleges that hotel management confirmed to Barrett where Miss Andrews was staying, disclosed her room number without permission and then allowed the stalker to stay in adjacent rooms.
In a statement, Miss Andrews said: ‘I've filed this lawsuit to hold accountable those who put my personal safety at risk and who allowed my privacy to be invaded while I was a guest at their hotel, as well as for actually stalking me and making my most personal moments public.'
Disco diva: Andrews and her partner came third on the hit TV show
She added that she hoped her experience would make hotels be more ’vigilant’ when it comes to protecting their guests privacy.
‘Although I'll never be able to fully erase the impact that this invasion of privacy has had upon me and my family, 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.'
Also named in the suit are seven hotels affiliated with Marriott International and Radisson Hotels International as well the Ohio State University and Summit Hotels & Resorts.
The hotel groups declined to comment, while Barratt has said he is ‘penniless.’
Miss Andrews began her career with ESPN in 2004 and has recently signed a multi-million pound contract, which will involve her also becoming a regular contributor to breakfast show Good Morning America.
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