# What should be the maximum non-punitive damages on Erin Andrew's "peephole" lawsuit? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 8, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-maximum-non-punitive-damages-on-erin-andrews-peephole-lawsuit/605431 "2011-12-08T00:14:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-maximum-non-punitive-damages-on-erin-andrews-peephole-lawsuit/605431/61 "2011-12-11T03:04:22Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I’m just grasping around to convey some of the emotional impact that this kind of violation can have. I’m completely baffled by the “Eh, it’s no big deal” people. I can’t imagine not being horrified by this. I’m horrified. But more like $30k horrified. Not $10 million horrified. Last year, there was a 17 year old boy around here that was killed when he swam in a public lake. A worker had negligently left a live electric wire on the metal dock. Boy is swimming and grabs dock. He is electrocuted and dies. Family settles for $3.8 million. Like your example of the gay co-worker secretly taking pictures of you in the bathroom. It’s wrong. It’s a violation of privacy. It is emotionally distressing. That doesn’t mean I should become rich for it. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-maximum-non-punitive-damages-on-erin-andrews-peephole-lawsuit/605431/62 "2011-12-11T03:08:29Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > God, what a horrible story. It makes me feel sick to my stomach to think of my privacy being invaded like that, and those images being out there for the rest of of my life for my kids, coworkers, guys I might want to date, potential stalkers, boss, etc. to see, and there is nothing I can ever do to get that back. > > You guys have female relatives, right? Don’t you think you’d be pissed if someone, say, taped a peeping tom picture of your naked sister in the boy’s locker room of the local high school? > > This sort of thing is just a really huge violation, especially when you know that you were targeted for it. I mean, it’s one thing if some rando is looking through your open windows. But it’s chilling to the bone to think of someone knowing you, seeking you out, and making preparations to do this to you. It disrupts your sense of safety. I imagine she’ll have a period of time where she has trouble sleeping, may have trouble with feeling sexually safe, etc. There is a bit of a threat to the whole thing- the next step in this rape, you know? I’m with you here even sven; stalking is really, really scary. IMO, the OP is way off base by not talking about the seriousness of the issue. But the OP has a point. How much should the hotel be responsible for? I would expect to feel fairly secure in most hotels. I have stayed in some scary places but even then, I knew the cops were around. But inside a hotel hallway or rented room, just how much safety can the hotel provide? Good hotels generally have security watching the hallways via camera. The question is, does this do much good? And what are they liable for if they see a person go into a room - the security person cannot know which faces belong to which rooms. Anyway, if I kidnap you and drag you to my house, put a gun to your head and…make you mow my lawn…should a judge call it even if I give you ten bucks for your time? [/QUOTE] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-be-the-maximum-non-punitive-damages-on-erin-andrews-peephole-lawsuit/605431.md?page=3)