Celebrity News March 03, 2016
Marriott Exec Reportedly Mocks Erin Andrews, Her Legal Team Wants to Grill Him Again
Amidst Erin Andrews' $75 million lawsuit, Marriott exec Neal Peskind and two of his friends reportedly watched and mocked her illegally filmed nude video at a Nashville restaurant.
When Peskind's friends pulled up the video on a phone, he says he tried to stop them. In a statement to WSMV, he said, "I was at a private dinner meeting with friends. They brought up the allegations, and they started viewing the video. I asked them to stop, and while they did so, it was not as quickly as I had hoped. This incident has been blown into something it was not. I would never disrespect Ms. Andrews and what she has been through. This is a very unfortunate situation that should not be a reflection on West End Hotel Partners or to our commitment to the issues in this case surrounding what happened to her. I sincerely apologize for my participation in what happened.”
A server saw what was unfolding and blasted Peskind on Twitter, claiming that he and his friends were discussing Erin's body and saying she heard them say she didn't deserve the money. The owner of the restaurant, Margot McCormack, shared to reporters, "Based on what I have heard regarding the incident last night, one of my servers was made uncomfortable by activity at one of our tables. It is my understanding the supervisor on duty asked the customer to stop the behavior. I would expect any of my staff to respond to rude or offensive behavior in my restaurant. We take great pride in providing our guests with a quality experience"
On Wednesday, Peskind was questioned about the incident while heading to court, but he had no comment. Watch!
The defense also released a statement about the incident on Wednesday morning. "Last night, Mr. Peskind and two of his friends, a husband and wife, were having dinner, and the friends brought the video up on their phone, to which he objected and immediately asked them to stop. The video was then turned off. We don't make light of this situation. Ms. Andrews was the victim of a crime, which has been our position from the beginning and is the reason Mr. Peskind asked his friends to stop the video. Other comments attributed to Mr. Peskind surrounding this conversation never occurred."
It has been reported that Andrews and her team of lawyers want to put Peskind back on the stand about the incident. It could be a huge blow to Marriott if the jury learns that Peskind was somehow involved in mocking Erin's body.
The trial is scheduled to continue today. Watch the livestream below.