Legal Newswire Blog

Archive for the ‘Sexual Harrassment’ Category

48-year-old Michael David Barrett was arrested at Chicago O’Hare International Airport last night in the connection with the Erin Andrews Peeping Tom case. Annrews, a reporter for ESPN, was secretly videotaped several months ago walking around naked in several hotel rooms. The suspect has now been charged with the federal crime of felony stalking.

According to the FBI, Barrett allegedly stalked Erin “with the intent to harass, to place under surveillance with intent to harass and intimidate, and to cause substantial emotional distress to a person in another state.”

The videotapes surfaced in July. At least six clips showed Erin walking around two different hotel rooms in the nude.

Andrews’ lawyer, Marshall Grossman from the law firm Bingham & McCutchen, told TMZ that Barrett allegedly contacted hotels in the various venues “where Andrews was working in order to locate her and her room number, and some of the hotels revealed that information, permitting him to target her.” Grossman says Barrett would remove the peepholes from the doors or as the complaint states, “hacked off” and inserted tiny camera devices to secretly film her.

Someone tried to sell the clips to TMZ, but they refused to buy or air them because they were an obvious invasion of Erin’s privacy. The federal complaint notes that the videos were offered for sale to TMZ.com through his email account.

The complaint says Andrews was so upset when the tapes began to circulate elsewhere she was “having trouble breathing and felt sick all of the time.” The complaint adds, “She was concerned there might be more video and wanted to vomit just thinking about it.”

TMZ contributed to this story.

Big Ben Roethlisberger Steelers QB

Ben Roethlisberger’s lawyer claims that the  sexual assault lawsuit against his client is fraudulent  and he wants the judge to throw the book at her lawyer for filing a “frivolous and abusive” lawsuit.

Andrea McNulty accused the Pittsburgh Steelers’ QB of sexually assaulting her at a Lake Tahoe hotel in July, 2008. She waited a year later to file a civil lawsuit.

Roethlisberger’s lawyer filed new legal papers claiming McNulty’s attorney knew or should have known his client’s suit was bogus. Ben Roethlisberger wants McNulty’s lawyer formally sanctioned by the judge — which, among other things, could mean he would have to pay Roethlisberger’s attorney’s fees.

Roethlisberger’s lawyer says the suit is “designed to harass and embarrass him [Big Ben] and countless other individuals,” adding the explicit content in her lawsuit is designed “to stir the prurient interests of the media and public.”

Roethlisberger’s lawyer says even a casual investigation of the facts would have proven McNulty to be a liar. Among other things, Roethlisberger’s lawyer claims McNulty told a co-worker she wanted to have sex with Ben and she wanted him to get her pregnant. She also allegedly sent an email less than 24 hours after her sexual encounter with Ben, stating she was looking forward to having dinner with him.And there’s this — Ben’s lawyer cites a letter written by McNulty’s attorney, which reads in part: “Our client is currently struggling with whether or not she wants to come forward and seek criminal prosecution of the celebrity.”Ben’s lawyer wants the judge to throw the book at his legal adversary.

TMZ contributed to this story.