The Hotel Had No Policy Against This

Barrett did not break into Erin Andrews' room. He called the front desk. A staff member confirmed she was a guest, disclosed her room number when he used an in-house phone, and then accommodated his request for the room next door. None of that required a skeleton key - just a hotel with no written policy against giving out that information to anyone who asked.

What the Hotel's Own Records Showed

In September 2008, Andrews was in Nashville for an ESPN assignment and staying at the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University - a franchise property operated by West End Hotel Partners and managed by Windsor Capital Group, at 2555 West End Avenue. Barrett, then an insurance executive from Westmont, Illinois, used an in-house employee phone at the property to have the front desk connect him to Andrews' room - a method that caused her room number to appear on the display. He then requested the adjacent room and was placed there.

At the 2016 civil trial, former front desk supervisor Naina Rivera-Keen testified that the hotel had no written policy on protecting guest information - not for high-profile guests, not for anyone. The hotel reservation records showed Barrett's own notes: a request to be placed next to a named individual. The hotel complied.

The Modified Peephole

According to the FBI affidavit filed in the federal case, Barrett used a hacksaw to remove the peephole from Andrews' hotel room door and replaced it with a plug. He then held his cellphone against the modified opening and filmed for several minutes after hearing the shower turn off. The resulting footage - capturing Andrews in a state of undress - was subsequently posted online. Barrett had used the same method at hotels in Columbus, Ohio and Milwaukee, Wisconsin during the same period.

FBI agents arrested Barrett at O'Hare International Airport in October 2009. On December 15, 2009, he pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court to one count of interstate stalking. He was sentenced on March 15, 2010 to two and a half years (30 months) in federal prison, plus $7,366 in restitution.

The Verdict Against the Franchisee

Andrews filed suit in Davidson County Circuit Court (Case No. 11C4831) naming Marriott International, West End Hotel Partners, Windsor Capital Group, and Barrett. Marriott International was dismissed before trial - the property was a franchise, and corporate had no operational role. Judge Hamilton Gayden determined Barrett was at fault; the jury decided whether the hotel parties shared responsibility.

On March 7, 2016, the jury returned a $55 million verdict. Barrett was found 51% liable ($28,050,000). West End Hotel Partners and Windsor Capital Group were found jointly 49% liable ($26,950,000). The hotel's defense - that Barrett's criminal actions were his responsibility alone - did not move the jury. A confidential settlement between Andrews and the hotel companies was reached in April 2016. The full $55 million was never collected.