Predator lawsuit

[The_Professor]

Judge approves "Predator" lawsuit against NBC Tue Feb 26, 5:50 PM ET
 


NEW YORK (Reuters) - A $100 million lawsuit claiming that NBC prompted the suicide of a former Texas prosecutor who was caught up in its popular sting series "To Catch a Predator" is moving ahead after a ruling by a U.S. federal judge on Tuesday.

Louis Conradt, a 56-year-old assistant district attorney, shot himself in November 2006 after he was confronted at his Terrell, Texas, home by police officers. They were accompanied by an NBC news crew that was there to film his arrest.

"To Catch a Predator," a segment of NBC's "Dateline" newsmagazine program, lures men to a house with hidden cameras in the belief that they are about to have sexual relations with underage girls or boys. There, they are confronted by the program's host and promptly arrested. In Conradt's case, he was expecting to meet up with a 13-year-old boy.

Critics of the show say it is a form of entrapment, and they have questioned NBC's partnership on the series with an online vigilante group called Perverted-Justice.

Conradt's sister, Patricia Conradt, sued the network, saying "Dateline" was responsible for his death and the harm to his reputation. She grew up in the house where Conradt committed suicide.

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin, while dismissing some causes of action, said certain key claims in the complaint can proceed to trial, according to a 40-page ruling.

Chin let the case go forward on claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress and violation of civil rights, saying if the allegations were proven, "a reasonable jury could find that NBC crossed the line from responsible journalism to irresponsible and reckless intrusion into law enforcement."

"Rather than merely report on law enforcement's efforts to combat crime, NBC purportedly instigated and then placed itself squarely in the middle of a police operation," the opinion read, "pushing the police to engage in tactics that were unnecessary and unwise, solely to generate more dramatic footage for a television show."

A spokeswoman for NBC, which is majority-owned by General Electric Co, said the company will continue to defend itself vigorously.

"We think the evidence will ultimately show that 'Dateline' acted responsibly and lawfully," spokeswoman Jenny Tartikoff said in an e-mailed statement. "The judge's ruling was based solely on the plaintiff's version of the facts. For purposes of this motion only, the judge was required, under the law, to accept the plaintiff's allegations as true."

NBC had argued that it owed Conradt no duty to protect him from suicide, according to the ruling.

Reuters

[fatman]

"Rather than merely report on law enforcement's efforts to combat crime, NBC purportedly instigated and then placed itself squarely in the middle of a police operation," the opinion read, "pushing the police to engage in tactics that were unnecessary and unwise, solely to generate more dramatic footage for a television show."

This is probably the heart of the lawsuit, and it probably has some merit.  While I am not at all against removing these people from the street, extra legal means, even against sex offenders, shouldn't be tolerated.

[Stray Pooch]

NBC may have a problem here.  I remember that Food Lion successfully sued ABC (IIRC) several years ago because they had undercover reporters posing as FL employees, who filmed unsafe meat-handling practices. 

A lot of people do NOT trust the press, and even as popular as this program (and the "gotcha" tactics against predators) are with the public, I wouldn't be shocked to see NBC get hurt.  There is, of course, a difference in the public perception of their local grocery store chain and a sex offender.  But these days the press isn't far above the pervs in trust level.  I agree with fatman that the meat of the lawsuit may have merit, but it concerns me when we start talking about restraining the press.  After all, aside from raising awareness of this problem and taking some offenders off the street, one can't help but feel that many pervs are staying away from potential predator situations for fear that they might get stung in one of these operations.  That's gotta be a good thing. 

[fatman]

After all, aside from raising awareness of this problem and taking some offenders off the street, one can't help but feel that many pervs are staying away from potential predator situations for fear that they might get stung in one of these operations.  That's gotta be a good thing. 

I agree.  The problem that I have is that the press shouldn't try to be law enforcement.  And let's remember also that they probably aren't doing it for societal gain, but for ratings.  Ratings = advertising dollars.  The societal benefit is secondary.

I also agree with you on that people don't trust the press.  Personally, I'd much rather read a large newspaper (Seattle Times) for world, nation and state issues, and my local rag for the local ones.  TV news is no longer news but entertainment that is increasingly preaching to a choir.  Of the editorialists, I tend to agree with moderate to right leaning columnists (I especially like Broder and Will) and avoid the more extreme elements of either ideology (Navarre, Pitts, Krauthammer, and Coulter).

There must be some way to make the press use its power appropriately.  Every other amendment has some form of limitation on it, why is the press immune to this?  Especially when they abuse the power granted.

But back to the sting thing, I've never watched the show.  It would seem to me that if the adult initiated the contact or was the one requesting sex, the entrapment thing would be moot.  If it was the cop posing as a victim, then the entrapment thing has some basis.  I am a firm believer in the separation of powers within the government, and it's my belief that should apply to the press as well.  The press is not the government, nor should it be an arm of government.

[kimba1]

if it only stay in this format I`m not having a problem
but if it goes after people who do things legally ,than I have a problem
ex. certain church group video tape people leaving porno stores to embarass them .

[Xavier_Onassis]

As I see it, there is a vast difference between the police trying to catch child predators and a network doing it.

The purpose of the police would be to stop crime.

The networks' main purpose is to make money from selling ads. I don't think it is their function to entrap people like this, not even bad people. It's worse in my mind like presenting a freak show in which we are shown a 1000 pound man that needs to lose weight, or a person with a ghastly tumor who needs it removed, in order to get people to send in money to  'save' the person. Even though the purpose is a worthy one, the idea of luring the audience to rubberneck some poor soul to sell the sponsors' products seems inhumane to me.

I find the show COPS to be equally annoying. The cops seem like smartassed goons and the crooks like pitiful, stupid creeps. But the announcer "This driver won;t be speeding for a long, long time" is the one I really want to kick in the 'nads, just for being such a sanctimonious smartass.
 

[kimba1]

if you think about it
this might make things worst
it closes one venue of capturing these guys by making it public knowledge
this program only catches the less intelligent more compulsive predator.
nothing about the scarey dangerous types at all.
this may actually teach them to be better at evasion.
if i remember right that show caught a repeat offender not the show.
they can`t all be that dumb
if they are we wouldn`t have this big of problem

[Xavier_Onassis]

it closes one venue of capturing these guys by making it public knowledge
this program only catches the less intelligent more compulsive predator.
nothing about the scarey dangerous types at all.
this may actually teach them to be better at evasion.
if i remember right that show caught a repeat offender not the show.
they can`t all be that dumb
if they are we wouldn`t have this big of problem
========================================================================
Lots of offenders really ARE dumb, but they are fairly easy to catch.

Smart offenders are lots more difficult to catch, of course.

I doubt that this is a really big problem.

One molested child is too many, but I don't think that this is really a major crime in terms of numbers.
----------------------------------------------------------
How would a smart criminal be able to tell the difference between the message of a real child who wanted a 'date' with an older guy and a bogus child? I suppose there could be some sort of clues, but I don;t know what they would be.

[kimba1]

that show teach them what is used
like what are the type of dialog is common with fakers compared to a real teenagers

[Michael Tee]

Every day perverts molest kids and every day some perverts are caught.  They're caught, brought to trial, convicted, sentenced and it's pretty embarrassing and humiliating.  As it should be, how can they expect to take any pride in that kind of accomplishment?

But thanks to NBC, one pervert got a big extra helping of embarrassment and humiliation, public exposure beyond what any of the other perverts had to put up with, some undoubtedly due to his status in the community, but some undoubtedly due to the self-promoting, self-aggrandizing antics of NBC.  They used this pervert and his sad plight and in so doing, they very likely caused or contributed to his death. 

Nobody outside of Iran thinks that a pervert has to die for non-violent molestation of teenage boys.  But NBC in its callousness decided that its ratings would be well-served by the extra-large helping of humiliation that it would inflict on this guy, knowing full well how much agony they would be heaping on him and how unbearable they would be making his life.  They did that to another human being - - a fucking pervert, sure, but a fellow human being just the same - - for ratings, for money basically.

Fuck them.  I hope the God-damn roof falls in on them.

[kimba1]

I`m gonna sound paranoid
but since the guy who commited suicide was a fairly well connected person.
I think alot more well established people are pedophiles than we think.
I notice quite afew people in government are getting caught in these crimes and find our laws addressing this issue quite wimpy.
remember what these guys are convicted in the show was tolerated in the 80`s