An au pair has won over £2 million in damages after she terrifyingly realised her boss has installed a hidden camera in a smoke detector in her bedroom.
Kelly Andrade was awarded a £2.1 million payout when it was revealed her employer, Michael Esposito had secretly been filming her, according to a Brooklyn Federal Court lawsuit.
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The then 25-year-old worked as a live-in-nanny for the fried chicken mogul where the family were staying in New York’s Staten Island.
When the Colombian-born woman was placed with Esposito, who owns three LaRosa Grill franchises, and his wife Danielle to look after their four children, she was thrilled.
She told the Post she was looking forward to the chance to be able to learn English and work in the US, with the family giving her a private bedroom.
But Andrade became suspicious when she noticed the 35-year-old dad often adjusting the smoke detector in her room, with it ‘constantly being repositioned’ according to the suit.
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Three weeks into working there in 2021, she inspected it and discovered the hidden camera.
She alleged Esposito arrived home ‘within minutes’ and tried to barge the door down when he realised she had uncovered his seedy trick.
Having initially pretended to be asleep, she jumped from a window in fear and ran down the street.
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Andrade's lawyer says she spent the night sleeping 'on the street in a bush' after fleeing Esposito's house, before she made her way to a nearby police station, handing over the memory card she’d found.
The au pair went on to sue Esposito, with the suit claiming it contained ‘hundreds of recordings’ showing her partially dressed or nude.
The dad was arrested on 24 March 2021 and he received a felony charge of unlawful surveillance.
But he avoided prison time on the condition he completed two years of probation and counselling, which Andrade said was 'not enough'.
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Esposito has now been ordered to pay up a mega $2.78 million (£2.1 million) after his secret X-rated recording plan was uncovered.
A Manhattan Jury has awarded $780,000 (£588,000) in emotional distress damages against both of the Esposito couple plus the $2 million (£1.5 million) in punitive damages against the man.
“Right now I’m working on myself recovering,” Andrade said. “It wasn’t easy for me to be on a trial. It was a very difficult time for me. It brings back memories that I’m trying to forget.”
Jess Battison