Couple awarded $27M in first phase of landlord’s hidden camera voyeurism trial in SC

Wealthy Aiken socialite Rhett Riviere and his ex-wife Josee Riviere were held liable for $27 million Tuesday in a voyeurism trial for invading a couple’s privacy by using hidden cameras in a rental cottage to record them in intimate acts and in the bathroom.

The verdict in the weeklong trial came after the state jury of seven women and five men deliberated nearly four hours.

A second phase of the trial begins Wednesday at the Aiken County Courthouse, when the same jury will hear evidence and arguments for and against how much in punitive damages to award the couple, Gabriel and Heather Crespo.

Punitive damages are designed to punish a defendant and send a message to the public that the conduct was grossly out of line.

The $27 million awarded Tuesday does not include a possible trebling of some damages for violations of the Unfair Trade Practices Act or punitive damages. Four million of the $27 million was against two of Riviere’s corporations, according to jury forms.

The jury found that Rhett Riviere — who it said was liable for most of the damages — had committed negligence, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of the Unfair Trade Practices Act and fraud, according to jury forms.

Josee Riviere violated the Unfair Trade Practices Act, the jury found. She is liable for $1 million in damages.

The Crespos had rented a cottage from Riviere in 2001 for three months and were unaware for years that he had installed hidden cameras in various rooms, including the bathroom, and was videoing them. Riviere titled the videos he took of the Crespos in intimate acts “Heather and Gabriel.”

Disclosures about Riviere’s long-running and hidden camera operation several years ago led to the involvement of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the discovery of more than 21,000 videos made by Riviere of people who had rented his cottages over a period of more than 20 years, according to the Crespos’ lawsuit.

The Crespos learned of the videos because of SLED’s involvement.

The trial was the first time that charges against Riviere have been aired in court and marked the first time he has been held accountable for his actions.

Riviere, 70, was arrested by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division in 2021 and 2022 and charged with three counts of voyeurism after agents were given computer video files allegedly taken of people in Riviere’s rental units, one of which was an Airbnb unit.

Those criminal charges are still pending.

During the trial, Riviere was called to the stand by the plaintiffs and invoked the 5th Amendment numerous times rather than answer questions about the hidden cameras.

Riviere used to rent cottages on Airbnb, an international rental company. But the secret recording in Riviere’s just-finished trial happened in 2001, years before the company was formed. Airbnb stopped doing business with Riviere in 2019, the company has said.

Riviere’s mother, Marilynn Riviere, was a prominent property developer in Maryland and in downtown Aiken. She was “a life-long equestrienne and on the board of trustees of Aiken Training Track, which has produced several champion racehorses,” according to an obituary.

Her father was a member of Congress from Ohio, and one of her grandfathers was “an oil tycoon,” another obituary said.

State Judge Martha Rivers presided.

Riviere’s attorneys were Jim Griffin, Joe McCulloch and Margaret Fox. Josee Riviere was represented by attorney John Harte.

The Crespos’ attorneys were Deborah Barbier, Wes Few and Ryan Beasley.

Defense attorneys declined comment.

“It wouldn’t be appropriate for a lawyer to comment about a case in progress,” said McCulloch.

This story was originally published September 24, 2024 at 6:13 PM.