Erin Andrews' ongoing hotel stalking case came to an end yesterday, and the result may have surprised you.
The sportscaster, who filed a $75 million civil suit against Marriott Nashville for a peeping tom incident that occurred in 2008, was awarded $55 million, which, although $20 million less than what she was originally seeking, is still an astronomical amount.
But if you're picturing Andrews going to the bank with a $55 million check, you're wrong. E! News got some insight on approximately how much of that money the celeb will actually be keeping to herself once all is said and done, and it is much, much less than what you would probably expect.
Attorney Troy Slaten, who is not affiliated with the case, explains to E! News that Andrews will actually only pocket about $5-6 million (which, let's be real, is still a good chunk of change).
How could that be, you ask? Well, let's break it down.
In case you've forgotten, the jury found Michael David Barrett, the man who recorded the video of Andrews, to be at 51 percent fault, making him responsible for $28 million. West End Hotel Partners, which owns and operates that Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University, was found to be 49 percent at fault and asked to pay out more than $26 million.
Because Barrett cannot financially pay $28 million, he was not included in the breakdown of the money, which already takes out over half of that amount. So the estimates, given by Slaten, are regarding the remaining $27 million, which is expected to be paid out by the hotel.
Depending on what type of a deal Erin has with her attorneys—typically attorneys who handle this sort of case do it on a contingency, meaning they don't get paid in advance and get a percentage at the end—Erin would have to pay 40-50 percent of the $27 million-plus costs, according to Slaten.
Costs are for the investigators, expert witnesses, exhibits and all the things needed to make her case, and that dollar amount would be in the neighborhood of $1-2 million.
But then, there's the chance that the Marriott is going to appeal the case. Slaten says that if Marriott appeals and loses, they would owe interest on their $27 million from the date of when the incident at the hotel actually happened. What likely will happen, according to Slaten, is they will appeal and try to work out a settlement.
Slaten believes that if Marriott were to settle, they would settle for something in the neighborhood of $20 million. So, breaking down from a potential $20 million settlement from Marriott, and deducting lawyers fees and costs, Andrews would be left with $10-11 million.
But wait, there's more. According to Slaten, a case involving emotional distress without any physical injuries is taxable! Gotta love taxes, right? Slaten claims she would lose close to half of her amount in taxes, and that's how Andrews would potentially only pocket $5-6 million of her $55 judgment.
We know what you're thinking—but what about that $28 million from Barrett?! The judgment against him is good for 10 years, according to Slaten, so Andrews will have to aggressively go after him to get the money.
Basically, the celeb would have to connect with his bank and make an enforcement action. If he were to sell a book and get an advance on it, she would have to find out which bank got the wages.
Sound exhausting? Slaten says it is. Regardless, a source told E! News that Andrews is "surrounded by her friends and family at this time" and is trying to move on with her life. "She has so many mixed emotions inside, but mainly feels at peace with the verdict."