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Defense attorney Marc Dedman, left, and plaintiff attorney Randy Kinnard, center, talk with Judge Hamilton Gayden, right, during the trial involving sportscaster and television host Erin Andrews Wednesday, March 2, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.<span style="color: Red;">*</span> Mark Humphrey, AP
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Noble Taylor said his experience as a juror in the Erin Andrews trial was an "emotional roller coaster."(Photo: Jordan Buie / The Tennessean)
One of the 12 Nashville jurors who awarded sports broadcaster Erin Andrews $55 million in damages Monday, after she was secretly filmed nude in her Nashville hotel room in 2008, said the trial's nine days and the deliberation that followed were an emotional roller coaster, one that pulled on his heart<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as a husband, father and Metro police officer.
A second juror said deciding how much money to award Andrews was the hardest part about the deliberations.
Noble Taylor, a 45-year-old sergeant with the Metro Nashville Police Department, said it was the testimony of Andrews’<span style="color: Red;">*</span>father and his reaction, along with those of Andrews<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and Andrews’ mother, that convinced him the jury should give Andrews the full $75 million amount she<span style="color: Red;">*</span>requested.
“Her dad was very emotional,” he said. “He brought some pictures, too, that just showed the daughter side of her, the family member side.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>I tried to leave myself out of it as best as I could, but it did affect me."
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But Taylor said not all of the jurors agreed with him, and that often the debate in the jury deliberation room was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>intense, heated and, at times, everything but physical.
“At times<span style="color: Red;">*</span>we didn’t really agree on anything,” he said. “Everything about this case was debated.”
After seven hours of deliberation, the jury of seven women and five men awarded Andrews $55 million, and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>found Michael David Barrett, who filmed the videos and posted them online, 51 percent at fault and hotel owner and hotel management company, West End Hotel Partners and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Windsor Capital Group, on the hook for the remaining 49 percent.
Taylor said he did not believe that the millions of page views the videos have received was a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>particularly significant point for jurors.
Taylor said the jurors watched Andrews for her emotions and to see how she dealt with what happened.
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He also said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>he felt there were several arguments made by the defense that were self-destructive, such as pointing out that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Andrews'<span style="color: Red;">*</span>career had progressed seemingly undeterred, perhaps even helped, by the nude videos, and that a few counseling sessions could help Andrews move beyond any emotional damages caused by their release.
“It didn’t sit too well with me," he said. "A person like that, as I said before, she’s driven, she’s going to be driven no matter what happens, hopefully.”
Juror Terry Applegate<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said she did not fault the defense for its focus on Andrews' success, as she expected that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>strategy.
"I think she persevered despite the video," Applegate said. "Because of her strength of character she was really able to succeed in her career."
But Applegate said that determining how much money to award was the most difficult question for jurors, in part because of the large figures involved.
“Obviously, this was a very long and complicated case,” said Applegate, 62. “We considered not only the impact it’s had on Erin Andrews, but also the message, I guess you might say, that might be provided to the hotel industry overall.”
Applegate said serving on the jury was a good experience.
“I truly appreciated the opportunity to do it, although it was difficult and lengthy,” she said. “I think it’s true of every juror. We all remarked about how impressed we are about our judicial system here in the United States.”
Both Taylor and Applegate said jurors were concerned about how Barrett was able to book rooms beside Andrews.
Applegate said the hotel and its manager did not provide testimony about supervision of the front desk. She said the defense left “a few spots that did not hook together” about the registration process that allowed Barrett to find Andrews’ room.
During a news briefing, one reporter asked Taylor what he thought about the defense being<span style="color: Red;">*</span>surprised by the jury’s verdict and the amount awarded.
“Well, I think Andrews’ family would have been surprised if they had lost,” he said.
Reporter Jordan Buie can be reached at 615-726-5970 or on Twitter @jordanbuie
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