The award goes to Gersh Kuntzman of the New York Daily News for writing this:

No disrespect to the jury in the Erin Andrews case, but I can’t breathe.

The Fox Sports reporter just got a $55 million award for the pain and suffering of being videotaped naked in a Nashville hotel room in 2008.

Fifty five million dollars because people got to see Erin Andrews naked on the Internet.

But Erin Andrews is still alive and, as the defendants in the case argued, is certainly thriving. She’s free to go on “Dancing with the Stars” or schmooze with NFL players. But a jury felt her pain — and treated the symptoms with cash. America, what a country.

He then goes on to note that Eric Garner, choked to death by an NYPD cop on a city street, received only $5.9 million (well, his family received it), and the family of Freddie Gray (killed by Baltimore police) received only $6.4 million.

Well, yyyyyeah, but they settled the case.  I’m not applauding or criticizing the families’ decisions to do that, but when you settle a case, you generally get a lot less.

Also, there’s no way Andrews gets $55 million.  Barrett, the guy who did that actual filming, most certainly doesn’t have the ability to pay even a fraction of the $28 million he’s on the hook for, and the hotel owners will likely appeal and try to settle for a lower amount. Add in attorney fees and other litigation expenses, and the $55 million number dwindles.  It wouldn’t surprise me if the amount she got was less than 6 million, which is peanuts to the hotel industry

And keep in mind, there is actual pain and suffering. Andrews broke down repeatedly during the trial discussing how the shame of the incident still follows her around seven years later. The video is still on the internet. People are still watching. She is still being blamed for what happened, and it’s likely that no matter what she achieves in her career, she always will be.

Her father also took the stand and talked about how much his daughter has changed since the video was released online.  “She’s terrified. She’s depressed. She cries. She’s full of anxiety. She’s a very, very changed person. She’s not the girl that we used to know at all,” he said.

It’s also crucial to remember that the jury was not tasked with comparing Andrews’ suffering to all of the great tragedies in the world. They were asked to look at the mental, emotional, and physical pain and suffering Andrews has endured, and gauge her subsequent loss of capacity for the enjoyment for life.

Why not $55 million?