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Defendant fined for invasion of privacy, and more, for secret videos
“Hidden cameras in short-term rental properties are a profound threat to everyone’s right to privacy”
Plaintiff’s attorney, Deborah Barbier
Deborah Barbier, a prominent Columbia attorney, secured a $45 million jury verdict against Rhett Riviere, a landlord who secretly filmed her clients, Gabriel and Heather Crespo, in his Aiken, SC rental cottage. Though Riviere was an Airbnb host until 2019, this case focused on his actions involving hidden cameras placed in a property rented to the plaintiffs in 2001. The jury awarded $27 million in actual damages and $10 million in punitive damages, with an additional $8 million added by Judge Martha Rivers under the Unfair Trade Practices Act.
A pattern of behavior going back decades
In 2019, SLED was made aware of Riviere’s voyeurism after his ex-fiance turned in two microSD cards, containing videos of unsuspecting men, women and alleged children at multiple properties rented by Riviere. Multiple lawsuits have since mentioned nonconsensual recordings of a minor in two of his properties. After executing a search warrant, SLED seized almost 4 terabytes of files, including 20,000 videos, spanning a twenty year time frame. It was because of SLED’s investigation that the Crespos learned of the illegal recordings of them and decided to file a lawsuit. In addition to the Crespo’s, eight other civil suits accuse Riviere of voyeurism, and SLED has criminally charged him with three counts of voyeurism, so far. He was also the subject of an incident report in February 2024, when he was accused of unauthorized photography for taking a photo of a teenager’s butt in a Prosperity Dollar General Store. No charges were filed.
Punitive damages send a message
Barbier emphasized the importance of the punitive damages, stating they were meant “to punish, deter future misconduct, and send a message to the community.” She highlighted Riviere’s unchecked entitlement and noted that “no one had told him no or stopped him” throughout his life. Barbier praised her clients for their courage, saying, “Heather and Gabriel were incredibly brave to tell their story and hold him accountable.” She added that the case sends a clear message that such misconduct will not be tolerated.
Read more about the case in these articles:
Judge, jury add damages for SC landlord who secretly videoed tenants. Total is $45M
Secret taping leads to $45M in damages
South Carolina Jury Awards $45 Million in Airbnb Voyeurism Trial
Prior to the start of opening statements in the case of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, Debbie was asked by CourtTV to comment on several aspects of the case.
First, on a motion about Arbery’s probation status. The defense alleges that the reason he was running was because he saw a neighbor across the street and he knew he was on probation. Prosecution says that’s “nonsense”.
Debbie says that, “… based on the judge’s previous ruling regarding blood alcohol content and THC levels in his blood that he’s going to rule this as irrelevant. And it is irrelevant. That’s how he should rule. There’s absolutely no relevance whatsoever to whether he was on probation at the time. The issue is, were these people acting in self-defense when they attacked him. I know that there are a lot of people that are upset about the make-up of the jury, but I have to tell you that most of the time, juries get it right, and I’m very hopeful that they’re going to see this exactly for what it was, and that was, a murder. But I don’t think the judge is going to allow any evidence of the fact that he was on probation. I don’t see what relevance it has, whatsoever.”
The second motion involves the defense has asking that the Confederate Flag license plate on the front of the defendant’s truck be blurred out in police cam footage when being played in court. Debbie was asked, “the Confederate Flag vanity license plate, in or out, what do you think the judge should do”?
“The judge is going to leave that right where it was, I don’t think he’s going to blur it out. There’s no reason to blur it out. It’s evidence. You know, this is a hate crime, and many people associate the Confederate flag with racism, and I think it has a great deal of relevance here. I do not think the judge is going to blur that out, I hope he doesn’t. Absolutely, I think (the prosecution’s) argument that Ahmaud saw this when he turned around was a very good one. I think a lot of people could relate to the fact that they would run as well if they saw a truck behind them coming after them with this emblem on it, and I think the judge is going to leave that in. “
Finally, Debbie was asked what she was expecting in the opening statements from the prosecution, and what she would do if it were in here hands:
“Well, you have to be careful in your opening statement not to make it a closing statement. In other words, as a prosecutor, what you want to do is lay out what the evidence is going to show. Generally, you want to do that methodically, you don’t want to over promise, you don’t want to say exactly what a witness is going to say because you never know what’s going to happen when they get on the witness stand. But, you want to lay out for the jurors how you’re going to present the case, what the evidence is going to show and you also want to establish the themes. The theme here is so compelling: we have a man with a beautiful life ahead of him who lost his life senselessly and violently. I think that will be easy for her to make a very compelling opening statement to the jury. I think that will be the underlying theme to all the evidence in this case and, if I were her, that’s what I would be doing. I would be making sure they understand the gravity of this case, and the senselessness and the pure sadness that goes with it.”
Hear more about the case, by watching this clip from CourtTV. Debbie’s comments begin at 8:40 in the video.
Read MoreShe shares her thoughts on cases and legislation impacting the health care industry including COVID relief fraud, her methods when working on health care related cases, and much more.
You can find the health care podcast, “Taking the Pulse” on Spotify, or directly on their website, episode #66.
Read MoreIn May 2021, Barbier represented a former Adidas executive in a civil lawsuit in which a Federal judge dismissed racketeering charges. Read more in The State newspaper article.
Read MoreThe Post and Courier Columbia quotes a Greenville attorney, announcing Barbier’s appointment to Trump’s impeachment defense team:
“Regardless of one’s personal view of Mr. Trump, it says a great deal about Debbie’s skill and reputation as a trial lawyer that she was chosen for this task, and I am very proud to be her colleague.”
Read MoreA criminal charge was dropped Friday for an Upstate real estate developer who was accused of drugging and raping a woman at his home in 2017, his attorney said Friday.
“I hope this case serves as an important reminder – everyone in this country is innocent until proven guilty,” Debbie Barbier, one of McCall’s attorneys, said. “Mr. McCall fortunately had the resources financially and the wherewithal to go and discover what the truth was and take depositions out of state, and went through a lot of personal burden and expense. A lot of people aren’t able to do that, and that’s the scary part.”
Read the whole article on Greenville News Online.
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Deborah B. Barbier of Deborah B. Barbier. LLC in Columbia, South Carolina was recently inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL) at their Mid-Year Meeting in Whitefish, MT, held in July 2019.
The International Academy of Trial Lawyers limits membership to 500 Fellows from the United States, and includes Fellows from nearly 40 countries across the globe. The Academy seeks out, identifies, acknowledges and honors those who have achieved a career of excellence through demonstrated skill and ability in jury trials, trials before the court and appellate practice. Members are engaged in civil practice on both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s side of the courtroom, and the trial of criminal cases. The Academy invites only lawyers who have attained the highest level of advocacy. A comprehensive screening process identifies the most distinguished members of the trial bar by means of both peer and judicial review. Deborah Barbier has been evaluated by her colleagues and the judges in her jurisdiction and has been highly recommended by them as possessing these qualifications and characteristics.
Chartered in 1954, the Academy’s general purposes are to cultivate the science of jurisprudence, promote reforms in the law, facilitate the Administration of Justice, and elevate the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession.
IATL Press Release-min Read More
The American Law Institute (ALI) has elected Deborah B. Barbier to bring her expertise to ALI’s work of clarifying the law through Restatements, Principles, and Model Codes.
The American Law Institute is the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and improve the law. The ALI drafts, discusses, revises, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Model Codes, and Principles of Law that are enormously influential in the courts and legislatures, as well as in legal scholarship and education.
By participating in the Institute’s work, Ms. Barbier will have the opportunity to influence the development of the law in both existing and emerging areas, to work with other eminent lawyers, judges, and academics, to give back to a profession to which she is deeply dedicated, and to contribute to the public good.
“I am delighted to be elected as a member of the American Law Institute to work with this remarkable group of lawyers, academics, and judicial officers,” said Barbier.
According to said ALI President David F. Levi, “[t]he American Law Institute is an active institution that depends on the talent, wisdom, and diverse perspectives of its members for its continued activity and excellence.”
All press inquiries should be made to Deborah Barbier (803) 730-6290.
ALI press release-compressed Read More
