Woman who says she was taped in hotel shower sues for $100M

ALBANY, N.Y. — A woman who claims hidden-camera footage of her in a hotel shower was posted on a dozen pornographic websites by someone who tried to extort her filed a $100 million lawsuit.

The Chicago resident, identified only as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, alleges the nude video was taken at a downtown Albany Hampton Inn and Suites in July 2015 while she was taking the New York bar exam. The lawsuit filed Friday names the hotel’s owners and the Hilton chain as defendants.

The woman found out about the secret taping this September when an anonymous emailer sent her a link to the video, which was posted on a pornographic website with her full name. The emailer said “I’m a perv” and at first demanded more private images from her, but eventually demanded $2,000 up front and $1,000 a month for a year, according to the lawsuit.

The woman did not give into the demands as more postings were made to popular porn sites. She monitors sites to seek the video’s removal when she sees it.

Links to the video also were emailed to friends and associates of the woman from an account made to look like they were from her. The bogus emails said it was for a friend’s art project and asked recipients to “let me know what you think and leave a like!” A separate email to her seeking bitcoin payments said “you want me to stop. Right?” according to the lawsuit.

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“It was just absolutely traumatizing because these are people I went to law school with,” the woman told Good Morning America, which first reported the lawsuit. “They’re friends, they’re co-workers. And they were sent a link to what looks like an email I sent.”

A hotel spokesman told the Associated Press in an email they were shocked by the lawsuit’s allegations. While no recording devices were uncovered during a recent renovation, he said they will continue to work with authorities to discover the perpetrator.

A Hilton spokesperson said in an email that they will support the hotel’s independent ownership and management as they investigate and co-operate with any law enforcement investigations.

Michael Hill, The Associated Press