Nanny Awarded $2.78M After Employers Secretly Filmed Her in Bedroom

A federal jury in the New York City borough of Brooklyn has awarded $2.78 million to an au pair who was secretly videotaped by her employers, who used a hidden camera in her bedroom.
Kelly Andrade, a 28-year-old nanny from Colombia, filed the lawsuit against Michael and Danielle Esposito, who had hired her to care for their children in their Staten Island home. The jury ruled that the Espositos must pay Andrade $780,000 for emotional distress and an additional $2 million in punitive damages.
Michael Esposito installed a hidden camera disguised as a smoke detector in Andrade’s room over her bed. According to court documents, the device captured hundreds of intimate videos of Andrade as she dressed, undressed and slept, all without her knowledge or consent. The September 12 civil verdict resolved the lawsuit Andrade filed in 2021 against the Espositos.
Andrade was living in Colombia in 2020 when she signed a contract with Massachusetts-based au pair agency Cultural Care. She had to pay a fee, take courses in child care and accrue 200 hours of child care experience in order to move to the United States and secure an au pair placement.
After moving to the U.S. in March 2021, Andrade was placed with the Espositos. Weeks into her stay, she began to notice the smoke detector in her room was frequently repositioned. Upon closer inspection, she found the hidden camera with a memory card containing hundreds of explicit images.
According to the lawsuit, Andrade “did not have knowledge of the surveillance device and did not give the defendant permission or authority to record her in any way.”
Immediately after Andrade discovered the hidden camera, Michael Esposito reportedly tried to force her out of the house. Fearing for her safety, she escaped through a window and contacted police.
Esposito was later arrested, pleading guilty to a second-degree felony charge of unlawful surveillance. He avoided jail time, receiving probation and after one year of counseling was allowed to withdraw his felony plea and plead to a misdemeanor charge of attempted unlawful surveillance.
According to Johnmack Cohen, Andrade’s attorney, his client believes that justice was not served in the criminal case, as Esposito “only received probation and was able to continue living his life,” Cohen said in an email to the Associated Press (AP).
But Cohen said that Andrade is happy with the civil verdict, adding: “We hope that Ms. Andrade’s case will inspire other sexual harassment victims to speak up and seek justice as Ms. Andrade was able to do.”
A lawyer for the Espositos, Michael Gervasi, said they “are exploring all post-verdict options, including an appeal,” according to the AP.
Andrade had also previously settled with Cultural Care for an undisclosed sum.
This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.