Judge Rules 'To Catch a Predator' Suit Against NBC Will Move Forward
Today, according to an article in Crain's, a judge in Manhattan federal court said that NBC Universal will have to stand trial in a $100 million civil suit, revolving around the 2006 suicide of Texas district attorney Louis Conradt.
At the time of his suicide, Mr. Conradt was about to be arrested for soliciting a minor. The investigation was being filmed as part of NBC's To Catch a Predator.
Mr. Conradt's suicide focused a significant amount of public scrutiny on the methods behind NBC's sometimes controversial show.
The suit was filed last year by Patricia Conradt, the sister of the late attorney.
"In a Tuesday ruling, New York's U.S. District Judge Denny Chin said the suit may go forward, though he dismissed some legal claims," reported Crain's. "By seeking to ‘sensationalize' the arrest of Mr. Conradt, NBC may have created a ‘substantial risk of suicide' and ‘engaged in conduct so outrageous and extreme that no civilized society should tolerate it,' Mr. Chin said in his court opinion."
Its unfortunate that Mr. Condrant made so many bad decisions the last of which was suicide. I am sorry the judge felt this deviant should have minutes time in court to discuss the "public" nature of his arrest. Let no one forget Conradt went onto a PUBLIC AIRWAY (the internet) to troll for a victim. His public calamity is a result of a culmination of bad decisions brought about by himself not NBC. Had he decided to go to a movie that day instead of conduct himself in a deviant manner he might be alive today.
Patricia Conradt like many other family members of serial child abusers and sexual molestors perhaps has been victimized by the sensationalism of this case. Or she has like many spent a lifetime covering up for him, we will never know. Her brother was a deviant and monster and chances are this was not his FIRST foray into child molestation. I hope this family is closely scrutinized to make sure there are no victims left behind.
While somewhat shocking Patricia's brothers death perhaps makes the world a little better place.
Accused criminals in our system do not lose all rights, and do not subject themselves to inhuman treatment. "To Catch a Predator" is wrong wrong wrong, and Chin is absolutely right to say that it may constitute "conduct so outrageous and extreme that no civilized society should tolerate it."
Suits like this turn moderate Democrats into Republicans. This man was a pedophile who was using the internet to solicit kiddie porn from someone who he believed was 13 years old. Worse still, it's more than apparent that the pictures were an entree to an eventual meeting and, yes, rape.
At least he had the good sense to off himself, thereby foreclosing a trial and incarceration at the taxpayers' expense.
To Catch a Predator should win an Emmy for that episode.
Only the lunatic-fringe left in New York and San Francisco could conclude that this was not a desirable outcome.
That "family" just wants MONEY and could care less about the dead perv!
Suicide is no one's fault but the individuals themselves. Many try too hard to rationalize people’s action by blaming others but in the end it is a decision one makes on their own. What if there were no cameras and he was simply caught by police, would she be suing the police department? This is what a sorry state our society has come to. He’s a pedophile! A PEDIFILE! He obviously thought he was guilty that’s why he did it! He’s a prosecutor he knows the law! Liberty from oppression does not mean a liberty to oppress.
so if the guy who shot him self flew under the radar and didn't get caught he would have touched the boy? but he got nailed and killed himself and we are feeling bad for him? I guess I missed the logic somewhare..
suicide + touching boys = HELL
hope it's hot enough for ya :)
screw this guy and his family..money grabbing idiots
he would never had killed himself if he wasn't looking for boys to mess with
I don't fell bad for him, his family or anyone who feels bad about this suicide.
too bad the bullet missed his brain and he got paralized and was raped as often as bubba got hard, so all he could do was lay there and take it. that's how I feel about the prick!
Why would someone innocent commit suicide, much less a district attorney - someone who swore an oath to uphold the law.
No one should overlook the fact that this person was trolling the internet for an underage victim. He knowingly sought to commit a crime. "To Catch A Predator" is somewhat sensationalist, but it confronted a criminal who was committing a crime.
This lawsuit is absurd. The man chose to take his own life. He should have taken responsibilty for his actions, those of soliciting CHILDREN for sex. I think NBC and Perverted Justice are doing a great thing, at least they are taking responsibility to get these perverts off the internet and AWAY from CHILDREN!!
There are two questions one must ask them self. Primarily how could someone do such an evil thing as molesting a child. It is clear that the people that do such things have some type of mental illness. Secondly those of you who speak of hell must in turn believe in heaven. Although this man did something horrible it is not our place to judge him or humiliate him. Our court system has been put in place to incarcerate and rehabilitate those people that have break our laws. Christ would forgive this man had he not committed suicide, but for some reason you think your better than Christ. I in no way condone what this man did, but I also don't condone the way in which most people pass judgment on people just like themselves. Remember God puts no sin before another.
who are you to say Christ will forgive this man (Feb 28) if he not committed suicide! murder is a sin even if it's yourself! why would Christ forgive a man who touched a child (sin) in a sick manner? then killed himself (sin) so someone can sin and live a life of evil and be forgiven just like that? the only person who can forgive the guy is the child he touced but they have a hard time in doing that, they usually turn out to be drug and alcohol abusers or become predators themselves, and I work in a profession and helped people who have been abused for the past 8 years and they question the existance of God every day, I have to reassure them that there is good in this world along with evil.
oh and I'm sure it's not the first time he did this it's just the first time he got caught!
So NBC is entitled to do police work. Is any citizen entitled to do police and detective work?
If NBC or perverted justice can play detective on citizens of this country, then any citizen in this country can do the same on to other citizens.
Then in this case, why not people say anything on internet?
IS it all right for perverted justice and NBC to play a 13-14 year old child on the internet ?
There are people who know that there are adults posing as child on internet, still they get a kick out of chatting sexually or they have mental problems.
At any point of time, it is a given fact that people will fantasize over the internet in sexual ways that will defy reason and rationality, but will never happen in 99.99% of cases when they meet in person.
"A 2001 Justice Department study puts the number of teens "aggressively solicited" by adults online at about 3 percent. Data compiled by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicate that the most serious dangers to children lie far closer to home, with over 70 percent of child sexual abuse being perpetrated by family members or friends of the family. While Internet predators certainly exist, Dateline NBC has devoted coverage to the issue that would appear to be out of proportion to the problem itself."
"Dateline has also made liberal use of the purported statistic that 50,000 would-be predators are trolling the Internet for children at any given time, a figure picked up on by others such as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and attributed to Dateline. When asked about the source for this number, Dateline identified a consultant and former FBI agent who has since said he's not sure where the figure had come from. In fact, studies conducted by the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire indicate that only about 4 percent of children who regularly used the Internet received "distressing" solicitations."
Everything in this country happens for Money and Power:
1. NBC needs to get their rating up thru their Dateline- Predator Series. So "Money" is involved here.
2. Police needs to cooperate and get progressive to highlight accomplishments in their career. "Power and Money".
-----In Riverside County, Calif., "To Catch a Predator" producers allegedly responded to a sheriff's lieutenant's denial of resources for a sting operation by cajoling the officer to "Help your career. Be progressive."
3. Sex offenders want child to have power over them. "Power"
Who else want Power and Money?
I was surprised that the city was more concerned about their property values and their "image". In a way they wanted to believe such perversions did not happen in their "pristine" neighborhoods. This lawsuit should be thrown out. Everybody knows how dateline conducts its investigations. The man chose to take his own life. I was raped as child by one of these monsters. I absolutely have no mercy for them. This lawsuit is all about money.
Bravo!
This whole affair is beyond absurd.
Even without the media component, police creating elaborate online identities and soliciting relationships using them borders on entrapment. And apparently the guy either became suspicious or had a change of conscience and became completely incommunicado. After he repeatedly left attempts to entice him unanswered, a tactical assault team stormed his home.
Plus, what kind of 13 yr old would go online and solicit an adult pedophile anyways? I'm sorry, kids who would engage in that type of behavior are far from the typical non-consenting victims of molestation (the majority of which are exposed to abuse by close family or friends).
Equating the two seriously denigrates the emotional, physical, and psychosexual suffering that true victims of molestation have experienced.
This really represents a new low for the sensationalist consumer crapfest that is our media and I honestly hope that lady wins her 105million and throws a wedge in NBCs yellow press.
you are stupid catch a predator is the best thing to happen to tv. anyone who thinks these people deserve a second chance, "once proven quitly" are stupid.
^^^ The problem is that these people haven't been proven guilty in any court of law. Chris Hansen has no authority to conduct criminal investigations, nor do private watchdog groups. The media exists to REPORT the news, not to create it. Any investigation should be carried out by an executive branch independent of media involvement.
These people don't deserve a second chance, they deserve their first chance to a free and fair trial. If you can't see that, you're the idiot.
I would imagine anyone who has suffered a child being molested at the hands of one of these deviants would disagree with the notion that the media cannot conduct investigations.
I've seen this compared to someone being coaxed into committing crimes such as robbery all the way down to leaving a 20$ bill on the street and nabbing whoever picks it up. These arguements are ludicrous of course. The moment, and I mean the moment, one of these pervs types in a conversation with an underage person (One that they perceive to be underage)
"... I'm 13"
"Have you ever had sex?"
"once with my boyfriend, I didn't like it"
"I would be gentle"
Bam it's over, and then, the moment you actually arrive at the house, OMG, what more evidence does anyone need. Think about it, this isn't a bank robbery, this isn't a setup, these are sexual deviants living and hiding behind the fact that you couldn't prove anything unless they were caught on tape.
In fact, studies conducted by the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire indicate that only about 4 percent of children who regularly used the Internet received "distressing" solicitations."
Give me a break, they probably don't know where that data came from either. No one knows how many perverts are out there and at what times and with what frequency they solicit and then follow through.
This show however, has snagged quite a few. Prosecuted or not, they were at the very least identified before they were asked to babysit.
How could anyone think that this man deserves a fair and free trial? think about it! assuming any of you are parents, why wouldnt you want dateline to keep going in their investigations?????? it makes me sick that some people say this man/family deserves any rights. pedophiles DO NOT! I personally love dateline for doing this, and quite frankly im beyond happy that this scumbag killed himself. one less pedophile off the face of the earth. Next time your children are raped or worse, and its bound to happen eventually, are you going to say the man that did that inhumane act on your child deserves a free and fair trial? If you do, you certainly need to get some priorities straight as a parent. And you think this lawsuit will stop NBC? ha! this is jsut a little dent in their pocketbook. Keep with the investigating NBC! these freaks need to be taken down, and i hope more commit suicide.
there are countless pervs out there that need to be caught BUT its not up to NBC to do it. NBC's irresponsible actions to boost ratings led to death and they should be duly punished.
Not only was this man a pervert who would have had his 15 minutes of fame and it would have been forgotten after thankfully many children in Texas would have been kept safe by having him scrutinized and hopefully removed from his position but his sister is such a greedy person she used his perversion to capitalize on. Is it not bad enough that children should be subject to such behavior but now the sisters and families don't even have enough shame to try and hide it and get it out of the spotlight as quick as possible. They were more interested in adding to their bank account. They should have had to pay NBC for taking the time and effort to get such a man out of political office and away from minor children. Actually all the women and children in his family should be put through some major counseling to help them through what they most likely they have been having to cover up for so many years. The problem is most don't even realize they are being abused or a party to the abuser.
For some reason when I see this show I feel like it is doing more harm than good. In a country where so many people are lonely we drive them further apart. Chris Hanson is just using 'young girls' as a weapon to take out his competition--other men. It is all very smart and very deceptive and finally wrong.
"How could anyone think that this man deserves a fair and free trial?"
Maybe because this is America where EVERYONE has the right to a fair trial. "Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law" hear of it? EVERYONE DESERVES A FAIR TRIAL. It is our give right as Americans. We have the constitution for a reason in this country, you cannot just go against it.
It is called the 6th amendment BTW, look it up.
We have these things called rights in America. They are there to protect EVERYONE from injustice. We live by a rule of LAW in America, not public opinion.